The Chief Coroner says lives could be saved if safe sleeping pods are given to parents who co-sleep with their babies. Chief Coroner Deborah Marshall would not comment directly on the Ministry's policy, but said it was "frustrating" to investigate deaths that may be preventable. "Suffocation by definition is preventable and there is a solution, namely the wahakura or pepi-pod," he said. "The evidence is quite clear of the dangers of co-sleeping without some protection for the baby." "I think it would be great if pepi-pods were available to people who didn't have the resources to get them."

Source: New Zealand Herald July 09, 2016 17:04 UTC