CribMy New Year's Eve late-night-partying days are long gone. I am usually asleep well before midnight.

I'd prefer not to battle the crowds, the high prices, the drunks, and the headache which is sure to arrive the next day. If you ask me, when you have a baby to take care of, hanging from the chandeliers is just not worth it anymore.

Here is one more sobering reason to stay home or at least take it easy this New Year's Eve: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. A recent study found a 33 percent increase in the number of SIDS cases on New Year's Day.

As you can imagine, the study which dates back to findings from 1973 to 2004, links the findings about the increase of SIDS on New Year's Day to heavy drinking by parents taking place during New Year's Eve celebrations. The study's author states that:

“The message to parents is that they should understand that just as alcohol degrades your performance in other types of tasks, it also may affect your ability to take care of young children.”

I think he's got a point there. Even casual drinking can make simple tasks much more difficult, slow you down mentally and make you more tired. Especially when you are up half the night taking care of an infant and if you are breastfeeding that means you have to pump and dump.

Some theories on this include that the parents who are under the influence put their babies on their stomachs rather than on their backs to sleep. "Back to sleep"  is the recommended position to prevent SIDS . The researchers also found the risk for accidents could be higher for parents who co-sleep when alcohol is involved.  

Does this study change your mind about drinking on New Year's Eve or any other night of the year?  

 

*Editor's note: This version features corrected text.

Image via jhecking/Flickr