By Jeff Starck • Wausau Daily Herald • April 8, 2009 A 10-month-old Wausau boy died Monday of accidental suffocation after sharing a bed with its mother, police said. Police Chief Jeff Hardel said Wednesday that Gavin Robinson died while he slept on a futon-like bed with his 20-year-old mother, Cierra Deal. Police were called at 9:30 a.m. to a South Third Avenue home for a report of a child who was not breathing, Hardel said. Hardel said the child shared a futon-like bed with an adult, the child's mother. Investigators have not determined what caused the boy to suffocate, but loose blankets, other items on the bed and the adult were possible factors found at the scene, Hardel said. 
Marathon County Medical Examiner John Larson said police still are investigating whether alcohol or drugs were used by the mother. The department has asked the Marathon County district attorney's office to review its report. A 3-month-old boy died Sunday in Milwaukee after his grandmother apparently smothered him as they slept on a couch, authorities said. It was the second co-sleeping death of a Milwaukee infant in the past month and both cases involved use of alcohol by the adult who slept with the child. Linda Botwinski, who teaches child safety to parents as an educator for the Family Resource Center in Wausau, said sharing a bed with a child is dangerous. There were seven sudden deaths of infants in 2007 in central Wisconsin, six of which were due to accidental asphyxiation, she said. "We don't recommend ever having a baby sleep with you," Botwinski said. "When they are 2, 3, or 4, once in a while is OK, but you can still roll over." If a person does share a bed with a young child, they should get a bed that has an attachment so the baby is near them, but can't be rolled on, Botwinski said. Blankets, pillows and toys should never be left in a crib or bed with a baby, she said. Most importantly, babies should sleep on their back to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Other sleeping arrangements can be dangerous. Children can slip between couch cushions or be pressed against the backrest. They also can sink in the folds of a waterbed.

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