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Healthy sleep is essential to baby's growth and development. Give your child a healthy, safe sleep environment
Quick Tips
Healthy sleep is essential to baby’s growth and development. Give your child a healthy, safe sleep environment by following these tips:
- Always put baby to sleep on his back.
- Do not cover baby’s head with a blanket or over-bundle, which can cause overheating.
- Keep soft objects, toys and loose bedding out of baby’s sleep area.
- Place baby in a safety-approved crib with a firm mattress and a fitted sheet.
Facts about SIDS
- SIDS is the sudden, unexpected death of an apparently healthy baby under one year of age that remains unexplained after the performance of a complete postmortem investigation, including an autopsy, examination of the scene of death and review of the medical history.
- As a result of the national Back to Sleep campaign launched in 1994 as a joint effort between First Candle, the American Academy of Pediatrics and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, SIDS rates have declined by more than 50 percent.
- Despite this success, SIDS is still the leading cause of death for babies one month to one year of age, claiming more than 2,300 lives each year.
- While SIDS occurs in all socio-economic, racial and ethnic groups, African American and Native American babies are 2-3 times more likely to die of SIDS than Caucasian babies.
- Most SIDS deaths occur when a baby is between two and four months old; 90 percent of all SIDS deaths occur before six months of age.
- Most babies that die of SIDS appear to be healthy prior to death.
- 60 percent of SIDS victims are male; 40 percent are female.
- Despite awareness campaigns promoting the back sleep position and other safe sleep practices, there continues to be more than 4,500 SUID every year. Experts feel that as many as 80 – 90 percent of these deaths are the result of unsafe sleep practices such as bed sharing, use of soft bedding and stomach sleep position.
- Other causes of SUID include: inherited metabolic disorders, genetic cardiac disorders, infection, and intentional suffocation.
Practicing SIDS Prevention
- Babies should always be placed to sleep on their backs. Side and tummy sleep positions are not safe.
- Do not fall asleep with a baby in an adult bed or on a sofa. Bring them in bed to breastfeed and bond, but when it’s time to fall asleep, place them alongside your bed in a separate, safe sleep space.
- Do not smoke while you are pregnant and do not expose babies to second-hand smoke after they are born. New research also warns of the dangers of third-hand smoke, the chemicals left behind on skin, hair, clothing, in homes and in cars.
- For sleep, use a safety-approved crib with a firm mattress that fits snuggly and is covered with only a tight-fitting crib sheet. Play yard style cribs are also a good choice. Place your baby’s separate, safe sleep space alongside where you sleep for at least the first six months.
- Do not place babies to sleep on soft surfaces such as adult beds, waterbeds, sofas, chairs, quilts, and sheepskins.
- Do not use loose blankets in a baby’s crib. Layer clothing or use a wearable blanket or other type sleeper to keep baby warm AND safe during sleep.
- Remove all soft bedding and other soft items from the sleep area, including soft or pillow-like bumpers, before placing the baby to sleep.
- Take care not to overheat babies with too much clothing or too warm of room. Keep temperature at what would be comfortable for a lightly clothed adult.
- Use a pacifier at naptime and nighttime for the first year.
- Educate everyone you know who will care for your baby about these important safety tips!
Creating a Safe Sleep Environment
- Place your baby in a safety-approved crib with a firm mattress and a well-fitting sheet.
- Place the crib in an area that is always smoke-free.
- Don’t place baby to sleep on adult beds, chairs, sofas, waterbeds or cushions.
- Toys and other soft bedding, including fluffy blankets, comforters, pillows, stuffed animals and wedges should not be placed in the crib with the baby.
- Make sure room temperature is comfortable for baby so you can avoid using blankets or layers of clothing.