Official guidance focuses on babies
We reviewed official health authority guidance on sharing a bed in 18 countries. The guidance falls into three groups, all concerning babies, from the first 3 months to the entire first year.
What this means
- Countries offer different guidance on babies, ranging from advice on making co-sleeping safer to “never in the same bed”.
- None of the guidance warns against co-sleeping with children over 1 year old. That does not mean it is recommended: the guidance simply concerns babies.
- This is the authorities’ own guidance. Select a country to read their exact wording.
The official guidance in Ireland falls into the category “same room, not the same bed”. How long it applies: Never under 3 months; same room for 6 months.
Three types of guidance in Europe
Select a country to read the authority’s exact wording, translated into Danish. Your selected country will also be highlighted throughout the rest of the atlas.
Japan is not shown on the map, but is included for comparison. Japan’s advice falls into the guidance on safer co-sleeping category and does not mention an age limit.
Ireland
Same room, not the same bedAge limit: Never under 3 months; same room for 6 months
“Bed sharing or co-sleeping in the same bed can be dangerous.”Bed-sharing or co-sleeping in the same bed can be dangerous.
Health Service Executive, gennemgået 15/9-2022 · Source
Source: The authorities’ own websites and leaflets, reviewed and checked on 28 October 2026.
You may use the map and summary under these terms. The authorities' own texts belong to the authorities.
How long does the advice apply for?
The age up to which each authority’s specific advice on where a baby should sleep applies. All age limits relate to babies.
No age limit mentioned: Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Japan. Denmark: particularly the first 6 months, and preferably the entire first year.
You may use the map and summary under these terms. The authorities' own texts belong to the authorities.
FamBed is a family bed intended to provide a large, continuous sleeping surface. It is not a certified infant (0–5 months) sleep product and has not been officially certified or approved as a separate sleep product for babies. Parents and caregivers are responsible for deciding how the bed is used and should always follow the current guidance issued by the relevant health authorities.
How we calculated it
The sample: 18 countries: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, the US and Japan for comparison. The texts were reviewed and the quotations checked word for word on 28 October 2026.
The three categories: “Advice on making co-sleeping safer” gives guidance to people who share a bed with their child. “Same room, not the same bed” recommends that the baby sleeps in their own bed in the parents’ bedroom. “Never in the same bed” advises against sharing a bed with a baby under any circumstances.
Gaps: In Poland and the Czech Republic, we found no official advice from a national authority. In Switzerland, the source is a university hospital.