A latest staggering ad campaign launched with the intension to enlighten the parents about the dangers of co-sleeping with the baby in Milwaukee has sparked outrage among the parents and is a leading topic of debate nationwide.

The ad that shows a baby sleeping in parents' bed with a butcher's knife kept beside and the tagline that says Your baby sleeping with you can be just as dangerous is the latest topic of debate on the Internet and television channels.

The campaign was launched last week with a sole purpose to promote a safe sleep environment for babies. However, critics who advocate the theories of sleeping with their infants have raised a strong criticism against the drive.

If the ads make some people uncomfortable, I guarantee it's a lot less uncomfortable than having another baby die from co-sleeping, a cause of death that is so preventable, Mayor Tom Barrett, who unveiled the ad, told ABC News.

Milwaukee has an extremely high infant mortality rate. According to the experts, a considerable numbers of infants die every year, either out of suffocation or by getting rolled over by parents while co-sleeping.

Co-sleeping in this country leads to infant deaths, Nancy Snyderman, NBC's chief medical editor, said Wednesday morning during a segment on NBC's show.
I think this (ad) is over the top, absolutely over the top, she added.

The Facebook page, Campaign against Milwaukee's Co-Sleeping Campaign, is flooded with critical comments on the campaign along with pictures of infants sleeping in adult beds, evoking the parents by asking Do these sleeping people look dangerous to you??

Ad director Gary Mueller of Serve Marketing is certainly not surprised by the blowback and says that the image is meant to unsettle; If it reduces infant death, it's worth it.

You've got to make people uncomfortable, Mueller said adding, That is what you have to do to change dyed-in-the-wool behavior.

We want people to think about this, Barrett said. We are trying to change behavior in a way I believe will help save babies' lives.

The new guidelines by the American Academy of Pediatrics urge the parents to share the room with their infants but not the bed, as reported by Boston Herald.

If you bring your baby into bed for nursing or comforting, place your baby back in the crib before you go to sleep. Sharing your bed for a few minutes with your baby can be safe only when you are wide-awake. Never bring your baby into bed when you are sleepy. Never bring your baby into bed if you have been drinking alcohol or taking drugs or medicines that may make you sleepy. The only safe place for babies to sleep is their own cribs, the National SUID/SIDS Resource Center said in a statement.

The effort intended to reduce Milwaukee's infant mortality rate will also help needy Milwaukee families by providing them free cribs for their kids.

Babies can die when sleeping in adult beds. Always put your baby to sleep on his back, in a crib. If you can't afford a crib, call (414) 286-8620, says the campaign.

Update: Another Death from Co-Sleeping in Milwaukee? Parents Stand Against Controversial Ad [VIDEOS]

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