muscles needed to lift their heads.
Myth: Side sleeping is safe for my baby.
Truth: Babies are strong, but they are not yet coordinated. They may roll from their side to their stomach, but not be able to roll away from an unsafe situation. If they roll from their side into their parent, a pillow, or the mattress, they may not be able to roll themselves back, and can suffocate.
C– is for cribs.
Babies should sleep on a flat (not inclined), firm sleep surface. Safety-approved cribs and bassinets meet this standard. Cribs should have firm mattresses with a fitted sheet and should be free of soft bedding. Soft bedding – including pillows, comforters, quilts, sheepskins, blankets, bumper pads, plush toys or stuffed animals – has been shown to increase the risk of death by suffocation. Sleep sacks or wearable blankets are recommended for infant sleep and can keep your baby warm while keeping their sleep space free of loose bedding which they can become tangled in during sleep increasing their risk of suffocation. Wearable blankets should not be weighted – weights in baby blankets can make it harder for a baby’s chest wall to move easily while breathing.
Myth: It is okay for my baby to sleep in a swing, sling, or car seat.
Truth: The AAP recommends that babies sleep on a firm, flat (not inclined) surface. All inclined sleepers have been recalled and manufacturers are prohibited from developing inclined infant sleep products following the deaths of hundreds of infants in such products. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulates the use of infant products. Please do not place your baby to sleep in any product that does not meet these federal safety requirements.
Lastly, babies who are fed breastmilk (whether by bottle or breast), and those who use a pacifier (once successful breastmilk production has been established), have been found to have a decreased risk of sleep-related deaths. The AAP recommends that babies be fed only breastmilk in the first six months of life and that breastmilk feedings continue up to two years of life, if desired. The use of breastmilk feeding is “dose-dependent” in reducing SUID, meaning the longer breastmilk is given, particularly when it is the only milk provided, the greater the protection it provides from SUID. Any amount of breastmilk is better than none at all.
We must be clear. The “Back to Sleep” campaign in 1994 successfully reduced SIDS deaths by 44%. However, following this initial success, there has been little further progress in substantially reducing these deaths. We have known the protective effects of the ABCs of breastfeeding, maintaining healthy pregnancies and a smoke-free environment for more than 20 years, however, the number of SUIDs in the US remains at ~3,400 deaths every year, and disparities in SUIDs have increased. We must examine and improve our approach to listening to families and communities most impacted by SUID, raising awareness alongside those supporting pregnant and parenting families, and educating those in healthcare in modeling safe infant sleep in birth hospitals and promoting respectful conversations to prevent SUID. It will take all of us – everyone who supports a family with a new baby – to do our part to reduce the rates of SUID.
Written by Dr. Christie Lawrence & Dr. Gina Lowell