New statistics concerning babies and sleeping habits suggest that having a baby in an adult bed is not such a good idea.

The Ontario coroner's office has been documenting infant deaths linked with "co-sleeping," when babies sleep with their parents instead of in a crib.

In four years, they found a third of infant deaths occurred while sleeping with an adult.

U.S. agency warns parents not to sleep with babies

The numbers are echoed in British Columbia where the Children's Commissioner documented nine deaths out of 32 over a two-year period where co-sleeping was to blame.

In the United States, a study in 1999 found an average of 64 baby deaths a year occurred in an adult bed.

• LINK: CPSC: Nursery Safety Tips

Cindy Littlefair sleeps with her new child, Grace.

"It gives me a peace of mind being able to find out at a glance that she's OK."

Littlefair says the habit began at the hospital and continued when she brought Grace home.

"Having spent nine months carrying her around, to suddenly have her two feet away in a plastic container (is) really very off-putting."

Soft pillows can smother a child

However, babies can get wedged between the mattress and headboard. Soft pillows and heavy blankets can smother a child. Sometimes children suffocate when their parents roll over on them.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned parents not to sleep with their babies.

But health authorities in Canada aren't as strident as the CPSC.

"It tells me that there is an issue out there," says Paul Pallan, B.C's Children's Commissioner. "It is important for parents to be able to understand that there are definitely some risks associated with (co-sleeping)."

Ontario's deputy coroner says the issue is an "evolving area."

"We're still being careful in our analysis not to outright say that co-sleeping should be banned," says Dr. James Cairns.

Littlefair says she'd rather have that feeling of closeness than leaving the baby alone in the crib.

Littlefair says she's careful not to place her baby in any danger. She has only one flat pillow which is pushed far back so there's more empty space for the baby to sleep in. She also says the blanket is pushed down.

"The feeding is easy," says Littlefair. "In the middle of the night I will roll over, put my breast in her mouth and she goes back to sleep immediately. I'm back to sleep within minutes. You can't beat that."