About Safe Sleep – Safe Sleep Missouri

What is safe sleep?

Babies sleep safest Alone, on their Backs, in a Crib for nighttime, nap time and every time.

Sleep-related infant death is the leading cause of infant mortality from one month to one year of age. Sleep-related infant death can result from unintentional suffocation/strangulation. The best way to prevent sleep-related deaths is for all parents and caregivers to provide a safe sleeping environment for infants.

Safe Sleep should not be confused with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Sleep related deaths are almost entirely preventable; true SIDS deaths are not. With continued education we are learning that many infant deaths that would have previously been identified as SIDS are now being determined as sleep-related deaths.

To prevent sleep related infant deaths, practice your ABCs for every sleep.

What we know about sleep-related infant death has changed over the years.

In the past, many sleep-related deaths were defined as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), but now new categories have been added to more-precisely define the different causes of sleep-related deaths.

We now know that many babies actually die from accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed

This is most commonly caused by a baby sleeping in an unsafe-sleeping environment; not Alone, on their Back, or in a Crib
These deaths are preventable

Babies Sleep Safest When They’re Alone

Bring your baby in your room with you, but in their own sleep space
Sharing a room – but not a bed – at night will allow you to comfort your baby in times of need
Sharing a sleep surface with an infant is extremely dangerous

Dangers include:

An infant may not be able to move their head to breathe
Infants can easily be wedged, trapped, or rolled over on when sharing a sleep surface
Blankets, pillows, and other soft bedding items can cause suffocation

Room sharing makes it easier to:

Feed
Comfort
Monitor your baby while they sleep

Babies Sleep Safest On Their Back

Placing your baby to sleep on their back is not only safer, but research shows babies who sleep on their back have:

Fewer ear infections
Fewer fevers
Fewer stuffy noses

A baby should be placed on their back to sleep every time (for naps and at night)

Sleeping on their back does NOT increase the risk of choking if an infant spits up
In fact, an infant is actually less likely to choke if they are on their back
Placing a baby to sleep on their side is also dangerous
Babies on their side can easily roll to their stomach
Side sleeping can also cause:

Lack of oxygen
Too much carbon dioxide
Suffocation

The safest place for a baby to sleep is in a safety approved Crib/bassinet/portable crib/pack n play

Your baby’s crib/bassinet/portable crib/pack n play should only contain a fitted crib sheet.

Items placed in a crib can get too close to the baby’s face and head and block the baby’s airway, causing suffocation or strangulation
If you are worried your baby may get cold, you should dress them in a wearable blanket (like a sleep sack) or pajamas with feet
You can also swaddle, but this should be stopped as soon as the baby shows signs of rolling over

Once a baby starts rolling over, a swaddle can be a suffocation or strangulation risk

If your baby falls asleep somewhere else other than a crib/bassinet/portable crib, move them to their safe sleep space as soon as possible
When sleeping in a car seat, bouncer or other device that is not a crib, the baby is at risk of suffocation

Baby’s head can fall forward
Baby can get into a position that blocks their airway

Safe Late Night Feedings to Ensure Safe Sleep:

If a parent feels they must bring a baby into bed for a feeding, it’s important they stay awake and return the baby to their crib afterwards.
To avoid potential hazards while feeding baby in bed:

Remain sitting up
Keep all pillows, blankets, and soft bedding away from baby
Ensure bed is a firm mattress
Be sure to put baby back in crib (next to bed) after feeding
If the parent does fall asleep while feeding, put baby back in his/her sleep space as soon as awake

Ways to stay awake during late-night feedings:

Keeping the lights on
Setting an alarm
Playing on a device (such as a phone)
Informing another adult in the home, so they can remind you to put your baby back to bed
Watch television
Sit upright in a chair, not on a sofa or in a reclined chair