Safe
sleep to protect against SIDS
The American Academy of
Pediatrics says infants should sleep in the same bedroom as their parents or
caregivers, for at least six months, to decrease the risks of sleep-related
deaths. However, the policy also states the infant should sleep on a separate
surface, a crib or bassinet, and not on a couch or soft surface. "SIDS and
Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2016 Recommendations for a Safe
Infant Sleeping Environment," was published in the November 2016 issue of
Pediatrics.
*This information is
credited to the AAP news release.
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Approximately 3,500 infants
die annually in the United States from sleep-related deaths, including sudden
infant death syndrome (SIDS); ill-defined deaths; and accidental suffocation
and strangulation. The number of infant deaths initially decreased in the 1990s
after a national safe sleep campaign but has plateaued in recent years.
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Dr. David Soma, with the
Mayo Clinic Children's Center, says, "It's not entirely clear why some
evidence would support that staying in the same room as parents, but not in the
same bed, would be potentially protective. This could be a marker for some
other factor or something not fully understood but there is some data to
support this practice." He added that more investigations may needed but
ultimately, "the message remains the same to my patients in that we need
to minimize risk while optimizing sleep for parents and children."
AAP recommendations on
creating a safe sleep environment include:
Place the baby on his or her
back on a firm sleep surface such as a crib or bassinet with a tight-fitting
sheet.
Avoid use of soft bedding,
including crib bumpers, blankets, pillows and soft toys. The crib should be
bare.
Share a bedroom with
parents, but not the same sleeping surface, preferably until the baby turns 1
but at least for the first six months. Room-sharing decreases the risk of SIDS
by as much as 50 percent.
Avoid baby's exposure to
smoke, alcohol and illicit drugs.
Other recommendations
include:
Offer a pacifier at nap time
and bedtime.
Do not use home monitors or
commercial devices, including wedges or positioners, marketed to reduce the
risk of SIDS.
Infants should receive all
recommended vaccinations.
Supervised, awake laying the
baby for a period of tummy time is recommended daily to facilitate development.
Jan Ricks Jennings, MHA,
LFACHE
Senior Consultant
Senior Management
Resource, LLC
JanJenningsBlog.Blogspot.com
412.913.0636 Cell
724.733.0509 Office
October 24, 2021
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