Vermont Business Magazine Unsafe sleep environments are responsible for four to six infant deaths in Vermont each year. To help avoid these tragedies, the Vermont Department of Health has launched its Infant Safe Sleep campaign – sharing information, tips and guidance for everyone who takes care of babies. A safe sleep environment means ensuring there is nothing where the baby sleeps that could prevent their ability to breathe because something covers their mouth or nose. Some of these things may be blankets, pillows, bumpers, toys, loose clothing, or even pets and other people. Babies can get also accidentally become wedged in mattresses, recliners or between couch cushions and pillows.
The Health Department conducted research and interviews with a diverse group of Vermont parents and caregivers, asking what they know about safe sleep, and what they do when putting a baby to bed. The findings showed that parents are concerned about their children’s safety, but may not know the best way to create a safe sleep environment. Based on this, the department developed a suite of resources for Vermont health care providers and families.
Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD said achieving a completely safe sleep arrangement can be difficult for parents and caregivers. “These resources were created to help make it as easy as possible to reduce the risk of harm to infants,” said Dr. Levine. “It’s important that people know the key things to do to keep their child safe — like putting your baby to sleep on their back, in a safety-approved crib with no other objects in there with them.”
The Safe Sleep resources are available at the Health Department website healthvermont.gov, and public health nurses at the department’s 12 local health offices are providing outreach to families, organizations that support parents, and to Vermont’s birth hospitals.
The state also has ongoing partnerships that bring together public health and clinical medicine to educate and support parents and caregivers about how to promote safe sleep practices and to prevent Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID). The Children’s Hospital at the University of Vermont Medical Center participates in the Cribs for Kids program, providing portable cribs to families who need a safe place for their babies to sleep. Nurses at the medical center also educate new families using the Health Department’s Safe Sleep resources and follow up with parents when their babies are a few weeks old to reinforce these practices.
Find more information and watch our 30 second video at: healthvermont.gov/safesleep
Safe Sleep Q & A
Many parents have questions about how to place their baby to sleep safely. There are several guidelines for parents and caregivers which are summarized here. Also, as you have more questions, the best thing to do is to talk with your health care provider or pediatrician. They can help you make a Safe Sleep plan for your family. For more information on Infant Safe Sleep download the brochure “Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe.”
Below are some Frequently Asked Questions around the Safe Sleep Guidelines:
Q: What is the best way for baby to sleep?
A: The best way for a baby to sleep is Alone, on their Back, in a safety approved Crib – and easy way to remember this is A, B, C.
Q: Why does a baby have to sleep Alone, what does that mean?
A: Babies are safest when they are sleeping in a safety approved crib without any objects in the crib. This means no blankets, toys, pillows or bumper pads. Babies can easily become covered, wrapped up, or pressed against an item and suffocate or become strangled by it. This risk is alsofor co-sleeping too; babies have died because of adult sleeping situations or by adults' bodies being too close to the baby and causing suffocation. Baby should sleep Alone, But Close – babies should sleep in your room, in a separate space, up to a year.
Q: What is SIDS? What does it have to do with Safe Sleep?
A: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden death of an infant under 1 year of age that can’t be explained, even after a thorough investigation by a doctor or medical examiner. Sudden unexpected death of an infant(SUDI) is any infant death that is unexpected and initially unexplained. Therefore, SIDS is a form of SUDI. However, these safe sleep guidelines are to help parents prevent their babies from accidentally being suffocated from such dangers as blankets in a crib or getting caught in couch pillows.
Q: My baby is not at risk for SIDS, so why can’t I sleep in a bed with my baby? I enjoy the feeling of closeness when I sleep with my baby.
A: There is no research to show that there is a safe way to sleep with your baby (co-sleep) at this time. Every year, some babies in Vermont die from accidental suffocation, strangulation or entrapment (getting stuck between a sleep space and a wall, for example). Often times this was during a co-sleeping situation or an unsafe environment such as sleeping on a couch, with a blanket or pillow. Many parents who co-sleep with children when they were infants report times when they had a “close call” – for example, they woke up and the baby had wiggled under the covers at the bottom of the bed.
Q: What about “baby boxes” or babies sleeping in cardboard boxes?
A: Parents may have questions about the recently available cardboard boxes that are made for babies to sleep in. These are sometimes referred to as “Finnish baby boxes” because they are used in Finland. There have been stories in the media suggesting that baby boxes are responsible for the low infant mortality rate in Finland. However, the data show that all Western countries have seen a decline, similar to that in Finland, in infant mortality since the early 1900’s, although parents in these countries have not widely used boxes for their babies. The Vermont Department of Health does not currently support the use of cardboard boxes for infants due to the lack of research on their relative safety. We suggest parents use a crib or portable crib that meets the safety standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Find out more information on theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics (link is external) website.
Q: When should we use a pacifier?
A: Pacifiers can help sooth babies, but it is ok if you choose to not use one. If you are breastfeeding you should wait to use a pacifier until your milk supply and feeding patterns are well established, at about four weeks old. Babies who are fed using a bottle can start with a pacifier sooner. Often a baby will find his own fingers to suck on that will also help in self-soothing.
Q; What is the latest on swaddling my baby?
A: When your baby is a newborn, a snug (but not tight) swaddle with a light weight baby blanket may help sooth your baby’s fussiness. Be sure to place your baby on her back every time especially if swaddled. You should stop swaddling by about two months old, because that is the age when babies start to roll over. If they are swaddled, they may be at risk of rolling over in the swaddle and end up in the risky position of side or tummy sleeping.
Source:Vermont Department of Health 11.9.2018 healthvermont.gov