Preventing SIDS
Date: 08/29/17
Doctors have new advice for how and where parents should put their babies to sleep
They now say babies should sleep in the same room as their parents but on a different surface. This decreases the risk of sleep-related deaths. It decreases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by as much as half.
About 3,500 babies die each year in America from sleep-related deaths. That includes SIDS, ill-defined deaths and accidental suffocation and strangulation.
The recommendation is a new policy from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The group of doctors recommends parents share a bedroom with babies for at least the first six months. They say it is even better for parents and babies to share a room for the first year.
Babies should sleep on a separate surface. That could be a crib or bassinet. It should not be a couch or armchair or other soft surface.
Other advice for making a safe sleep space includes:
- Place the baby on his or her back on a firm sleep surface. That could be a crib or bassinet. The surface should be covered with a tight-fitting sheet.
- Avoid soft bedding. That includes crib bumpers, blankets, pillows and soft toys.
- Your baby should be in the same room but not the same sleeping surface. Make that a habit for at least the first six months. Avoid smoking, drinking and illegal drugs when around the baby.
The group also says parents should not use home monitors or other items, such as wedges, that say they reduce the risk of SIDS.
Read more about the new guidelines here.