Is Your Baby Sleeping Safely?

A Guide to Help Your Baby Sleep Safe and Sound

• What is SIDS?
• New Research Indicates Biological Predisposition to SIDS
• Preventing Infant Deaths from the Use of Soft Bedding
• Check Your Crib for Safety
• Swaddling and SIDS Reduction
• Swaddling Helps Babies Soothe & Sleep
• Help Keep Your Baby Sleeping Safely
• Health and Safety Resources for Parents

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.

At this time there is no known way to prevent SIDS in all cases, but there are steps parents and caregivers can take to reduce the risk of sudden infant death.

New Research Indicates Biological Predisposition to SIDS

First Candle/SIDS Alliance, the nation's leading organization dedicated to infant health and survival, is pleased to announce that researchers at Children's Hospital in Boston have new autopsy data that provides the strongest evidence yet that sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is not a "mystery" disease, but has a concrete biological basis. Based on their findings, the researchers hope to develop a diagnostic test to identify newborns at risk and envision treatments to protect them during the vulnerable period.

The current study, which will appear in the November 1 Journal of the American Medical Association, is important because it provides more conclusive evidence that a significant number of SIDS infants have a brain disorder. The abnormalities identified in this study suggest that there is a problem in the development of the brain that occurs in utero and after birth as well. According to Dr. Hannah Kinney, senior author of the paper, this opens the window of time available for identifying infants at high risk and using drugs and other interventions as the baby passes through the critical first six months of life where they are at the greatest risk for SIDS. "My hope is that this research will in some way ease the pain for parents of SIDS victims, helping them understand that their baby's death was part of a disease process rather than a mystery," says Kinney.

The abnormalities identified as part of this study appear to affect the brainstem's ability to use and recycle serotonin, a brain chemical which plays a role in communications between brain cells. Serotonin is most well known for its role in regulating mood, but it also plays a role in regulating vital functions like breathing, heart rate, temperature, blood pressure and arousal. While the SIDS cases contained more serotonin using neurons, they appeared to contain fewer receptors for serotonin than did the control cases. The researchers also found that male SIDS infants had fewer serotonin receptors than did either female SIDS infants or control infants. The finding may provide insight into why SIDS affects roughly twice as many males as females.

"This finding lends credence to the view that SIDS risk may greatly increase when an underlying predisposition combines with an environmental risk--such as sleeping face down-- at a developmentally sensitive time in early life," said Duane Alexander, M.D., Director of the NIH's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

The majority (65 percent) of the SIDS cases in the data set were sleeping prone or on their side and 23 percent were sharing a bed at the time of death, indicating the need for continued public health messages on safe sleep practices.

Source: First Candle / SIDS Alliance press release 10/31/2006

Preventing Infant Deaths from the Use of Soft Bedding

Tummy sleeping and soft, fluffy or loose bedding can cause a dangerous buildup of carbon dioxide (exhaled air) around a sleeping baby's face. The following guidelines can reduce the risk of suffocation:

• Place your baby to sleep on his or her back at nap and nighttime.
• Remove all soft, fluffy or loose bedding and toys (including blankets and padded bumpers) from the crib.
• Use a wearable blanket or a sleeper to replace loose blankets.
• Do not put your baby to sleep on any soft surface (sofas, chairs, waterbeds, quilts, blankets, sheepskins, etc.).
• Room sharing is safer than bed sharing. Infants sleeping in adult beds are at increased risk of suffocation and entrapment.
• Educate relatives, babysitters and other caregivers about these important safety tips.

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

Older cribs may not meet current safety standards and are on the “Most Wanted” list at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Do not use any crib that does not meet current safety standards.

• Use a firm, tight-fitting mattress, so baby cannot get trapped between the mattress and the crib.
• Inspect the crib to be sure there are no missing, loose, or broken parts.
• There should be no more than 2 3/8" (about the width of a soda can) between crib slats.
• Do not use a crib with corner posts over 1/16" high to prevent baby's clothes from catching.
• Do not use a crib with cutouts in the headboard or footboard that could entrap a baby.
• Make sure crib sheets fit snugly on a crib mattress, so they cannot be dislodged by pulling on the corner of the sheet.
• Do not place crib near a window or close to blind cords, which are a strangulation risk; from 1991 to 2000, CPSC received reports of 160 strangulations involving cords on window blinds.

Source: United States Consumer Product Safety Commission

Swaddling and SIDS Reduction

New studies show that swaddling may reduce the risk of SIDS in several important ways:

• Because swaddled babies sleep better, parents are more likely to place baby to sleep on their backs rather than in the unsafe tummy position. (Journal of Pediatrics Vol. 110 No. 6 December 2002)
• New research shows that swaddled babies sleep better with fewer spontaneous awakenings and longer REM sleep, yet are more likely to experience cortical arousals from outside stimulation. (Journal of Pediatrics 2005; 115; 1307-1311)
• Babies securely swaddled have reduced risk of loose blankets covering their face.
• Swaddled babies are less likely to roll over in cribs.

Swaddling Helps Babies Soothe & Sleep

• Snug swaddling soothes babies by recreating the familiar snugness of being in the womb.
• Swaddling decreases the incidence of the startle reflex in which babies frequently awake.
• Swaddling helps prevent over stimulation.
• Babies can be inefficient in regulating their own temperature. Swaddling helps to keep them warm.
• Swaddling can make breastfeeding easier by containing baby's extra movements.

Help Keep Your Baby Sleeping Safely

Some general safety guidelines to follow:

• Maintain good prenatal care for you and your unborn baby.
• Do not smoke or drink alcohol while pregnant.
• Do not allow anyone to smoke near your baby.
• Put your baby to sleep on his or her back.
• Babies should not sleep in adult beds or on sofas.
• Encourage babies to use a pacifier at nap and nighttime for the first year.
• Overheating may be a contributing factor in SIDS; keep the room temperature cool and do not dress your baby in clothing that could cause overheating.
• Take your baby for scheduled well child check-ups, and talk to your pediatrician about changes in your baby's behavior and health.
• Follow immunization schedules for your baby.
• Breastfeeding has been shown to be good for babies, as it builds their immunity against illness and infection.

Source: First Candle/SIDS Alliance

Health and Safety Resources for Parents

First Candle / SIDS Alliance
www.firstcandle.org

 

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

 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
The latest infant sleep recommendations may be found at this link
(scroll down to “Recommendations”)
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/

 

Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality
By Laura A. Jana, MD, FAAP and Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP
Parent-tested, pediatrician-approved advice parents need to prepare for the first few months of their baby’s life.
www.aap.org

 

Happiest Baby on the Block, The new Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Baby Sleep Longer
by Dr. Harvey Karp, MD
www.thehappiestbaby.com

The BeddieBye Wearable Safety Blanket by Kiddopotamus is Pediatrician Recommended to provide a safe, simple alternative to loose blankets in the crib.

The sleeveless design helps reduce the risk of overheating, and the shoulder tabs adjust for a customized fit to keep baby safely covered all night.

The SwaddleMe Adjustable Infant Wrap by Kiddopotamus provides the simplest, most effective way to swaddle newborns.

Soft fabric wings hug baby close and stay safely in place with adjustable tabs.

Kiddopotamus is a Leading Light and Founding Partner of First Candle / SIDS Alliance and donates a percentage of the sale of each SwaddleMe to help babies survive and thrive.