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Tips and Reminders for Infant Safe Sleep

October 17, 2017

Did you know that infants should always be placed on their backs to sleep and with nothing else around them, including soft bedding, bumpers, and toys? This is critical for reducing infant, sleep-related deaths. In recognition of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month, here are some other safe sleep tips and reminders from the Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program.

  1. Always use a firm, flat sleep surface. Car seats, swings and other devices that position a baby on an incline aren’t safe for routine sleep.
  2. Never use a crib that’s missing hardware and never attempt to fix broken components of a crib. Many deaths have been associated with broken cribs, cribs with missing parts, or ones that were presumed to be repaired.
  3. Don’t overheat or overdress your baby. Dress him or her in light sleep clothing, and keep the room at a temperature that’s comfortable for an adult (between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit).
  4. Do not bed-share. Bed-sharing is when parents share their bed with their children. This practice puts babies at risk of suffocation, strangulation and SIDS. Bed-sharing is the most common cause of deaths in babies, especially for those who are three months old and younger.
  5. Avoid commercial devices such as wedges, positioners, special mattresses, and special sleep surfaces that claim to reduce risk of SIDS. There is no evidence that they reduce risk or that they’re safe

"At Bayhealth, we role model safe sleep behaviors while parents are in the hospital,” said Women’s and Children’s Services Outcomes Project Manager Pamela Laymon, RNC-LRN, BSN. “We take the time to correct unsafe sleep situations and re-educate parents. We are proud to partner with Cribs for Kids in providing a safe sleep environment for those in need."

The National Safe Sleep Hospital Program designated both Bayhealth hospitals as Gold Safe Sleep Champions earlier this year because of Bayhealth’s partnership with Cribs for Kids, for its commitment to following safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and for the training and education on this topic that it provides to parents, staff, and the community. Visit Bayhealth.org/Safe-Sleep to learn more about infant safe sleep.

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