Half of all mums lie about co-sleeping. Here's how to do it...

When a parenting approach is controversial, it can be hard to be open about it. One such approach is co-sleeping with your newborn.

Experts warn parents of the risks associated with allowing their baby sleep in the same bed as them - it's often been linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

And yet many mums adamantly believe that co-sleeping with their newborn has some real benefits.

So why did a poll confirm that nearly half of all parents lie about co-sleeping with their children?

According to parenting author Sarah Ockwell-Smith, who wrote Why Your Baby's Sleep Matters and commissioned the poll of 600 parents, the fact that 46 % of them deny sharing a bed to their doctor is because they are afraid of how those professionals might react.

"It's not just being judged the parents fear, but they think: 'If I admit this, am I going to be reported to social services?'" Ockwell-Smith told the Daily Mail. "Many people won't even tell their friends or family. It's a taboo."

However, the problem then is that parents who continue to co-sleep might not receive helpful, life-saving advice.

By simply saying "don't bed-share," the author believes health care practitioners "are completely misinterpreting" the evidence that says it's unsafe and are instructing parents not to do it instead of educating them with comprehensive options.

"I'm just really worried that by telling people not to do it they're putting more babies at risk," she said. "Surely it makes more sense for parents to know how to do it correctly."

Here, her pro tips for co-sleeping as safely as possible:

1.Keep pillows, blankets, and duvets away from baby. Use only light covers.

2.Place the baby on the outside of the bed beside Mom and separate from Dad or other siblings.If you put the child in the middle, the risk of someone rolling over them increases.