About 3,400 babies in the United States die suddenly and unexpectedly each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, and there are measures parents can follow to reduce those risks.
“I’ve seen a lot of parents who don’t practice safe sleep” with their infants, said Rochele Grierson, the New Parent Support Program/Home Visitor coordinator at Redstone. “It only takes a few seconds for a child to stop breathing.”
Grierson, a registered nurse who teaches a parenting class throughout the year, encourages parents to use the ABCs of safe sleep for infants.
Babies should sleep:
· Alone
· On their Back
· In a Crib, bassinette or portable play yard
“Parents may be concerned that if infants sleep on their backs, they’ll gag if they vomit, but the anatomy of a child will prevent them from gagging if they’re on their back,” she said. “It’s more likely that they’ll gag or choke if they’re sleeping on their side and (roll over) and sleep on their face.”
Sudden unexpected infant deaths, or SUIDs, include sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS, accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed and other deaths from unknown causes, Grierson said, and these deaths usually occur when infants are 1 and younger. According to the CDC, Alabama had the second highest SUID rate in the country, at 174.6 per 1,000 live births between 2016 and 2020.
The Back to Sleep campaign began in 1994. Led by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the National Institutes of Health, and other organizations, the campaign was expanded and renamed Safe to Sleep in 2012 to address SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths.
Grierson shared some of the campaign’s guidelines for reducing risks for a sleeping baby:
· Use a firm and flat mattress covered only with a fitted sheet.
· Keep stuffed animals or pillows that could cover a baby’s face out of the crib.
· Keep baby’s surroundings smoke- and vape-free.
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According to the campaign, car seats, carriers, swings or strollers are not recommended as a baby’s regular sleep or nap space. If a baby falls asleep in one of these devices, the baby should be moved to their regular sleep space as soon as possible.
To avoid overheating. “it’s important to dress infants appropriately for the weather,” Grierson said.
If traveling and using a portable play yard, she advised using the mattress that comes with it and making sure it’s kept away from window blinds with cords and outlets with electrical cords.
“The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends sleeping in the same room as your child up to 6 months old, but not bed sharing,” she said. “And do not get inside your baby’s crib because they are not meant to hold your weight.”
Grierson recommended checking out the Consumer Product Safety Commission website at www.cpsc.gov for recalls on infant products and for more crib safety tips.
The New Parent Support Program, part of Army Community Service’s Family Advocacy Program, also provides private home visits, playgroups, safety resources and “baby bundles” with gifts and information for parents, and all services are free.
The morning play group, ChildWise, and parenting classes are available to anyone with access to the Redstone Arsenal. The home visit, which includes the baby bundles, is available to active duty, Army Reserve and National Guard.
For more information, call 256-842-8378 or 256-876-5397.
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