Nothing is cuter than a sleeping cherubic baby. Unless, perhaps, the newborn is cuddling up to a meat cleaver.
That's one of the images in a new ad campaign from the city of Milwaukee that is aimed at reducing the number of parents who sleep with their infants. The pictures of babes resting up against knives is paired with the phrase: "Your baby sleeping with you can be just as dangerous."
As it happens, the sensational ads were launched on the same day a seven-week-old infant died in what is believed to be a co-sleeping incident, bringing Milwaukee's total for the year to nine babies dead from sharing beds with adults.
Many have objected to the ads but health officials are defending the campaign by saying the imagery is far less shocking than the city's co-sleeping reality.
"What is even more shocking and provocative is that 30 developed and underdeveloped countries have better [infant death]rates than Milwaukee," said Bevan Baker, Milwaukee's Commissioner of Health.
But not all parents are convinced, since many believe that co-sleeping can be done safely.
"Perhaps more time and money should be spent supporting parents and helping them learn how to co-sleep safely if they choose to do so, instead of sending this sort of negative message," wrote Monica Beyer on the mom blog She Knows Parenting.
Other mothers say officials don't understand that co-sleeping isn't always a conscious decision, but a by-product of being exhausted.
"I co-slept with all three of my babies. Often, they would fall asleep right at the breast, and just sleep in bed with me for the rest of the night, instead of in the bassinet next to the bed," wrote Evonne Lack on babycenter.com. "The truth? I was tired. Sleepy. It was easier to co-sleep."
Do these ads cross a line? Should the government be telling parents how to parent? Or are health officials just doing their jobs?
Madeleine White