Is Your Baby Sleeping Safely?

Is Your Baby Sleeping Safely?
A Guide to Helping Your Baby Sleep Safe and Sound

Preventing Infant Deaths from the Use of Soft Bedding

Source: Recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Check Your Crib for Safety

Source: United States Consumer Product Safety Commission

“Back to Sleep” and Swaddling

Parents are encouraged to put babies to sleep on their backs. But many parents still allow their baby to sleep on her tummy — because she may sleep sooner and longer that way — even though they know their baby is safer when sleeping on her back.

Fortunately, new studies have shown there is a way for many infants to sleep well when on their backs: swaddle them. Wrapping infants securely helps them to fall asleep on their backs, potentially reducing the risk of SIDS.

Source: The Journal of Pediatrics 2002; 141:398-404

Dr. Harvey Karp, author of The Happiest Baby on the Block, suggests that swaddling decreases the incidence of the startle reflex, in which babies frequently startle awake and cry.

Swaddling can reduce the symptoms of colic, and help baby sleep better and more safely by recreating the familiar snugness of the womb, with baby’s arms secure against her body.

Source: The Happiest Baby on the Block , Dr. Harvey Karp

“What is SIDS?

SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME (SIDS) is the sudden, unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant under one year of age that cannot be attributed to other causes. Most SIDS deaths occur when a baby is between 2 and 4 months old. 90% of all SIDS deaths occur before 6 months of age.

As a result of the national Back To Sleep Campaign launched in 1994, SIDS deaths have declined by more than 50%. Yet, despite that success, SIDS remains the leading cause of death for infants one month to one year of age, claiming the lives of approximately 2,000 babies each year.

Scientists are exploring the development and function of the nervous system, brain, heart, breathing and sleeping patterns, body chemical balances, as well as autopsy findings and environmental factors. SIDS, like other medical disorders, may have more than one explanation – and more than one means of prevention.

Help Keep Your Baby Sleeping Safely

Some general safety guidelines to follow:

Source: First Candle/SIDS Alliance

Health and Safety Resources for Parents

First Candle / SIDS Alliance
www.firstcandle.com

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Office of Public Affairs
www.cpsc.gov

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
www.nichd.nih.gov

Caring for Your Baby and Child: Birth to Age 5
The American Academy of Pediatrics
www.aap.org

Happiest Baby on The Block, The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Baby Sleep Longer
Dr. Harvey Karp, MD
www.happiestbaby.com