SIDS awareness day…prevention tips for parents
Today is SIDS awareness this day. I felt this should be acknowledged because SIDS is such a scary thing that is so unpredictable. Below are some things every parent can do to help reduce the risk of a SIDS related death. Also check out my previous post for a great product to help you sleep better at night.
What is SIDS?
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden and unexplained death of a sleeping infant under one year of age. In most situations, infants show no physical signs of distress and are perfectly healthy. Ninety percent of all SIDS fatalities occur before an infant reaches six months of age.
Baby Sleeps Safe is a Sleep Panel and Sleep Pouch which work together to position babies on their backs and prevent them from rolling onto their stomachs while sleeping.
What can you do for your baby?
· Place infants on their backs to sleep. As sleeping preference is a learned behavior, parents should consider using products such as Baby Sleeps Safe, a two-piece infant safety product that keeps babies sleeping safely and securely on their backs, to ensure their baby is comfortable with the position.
· Do not place your infant to sleep in your bed. Instead, bring the crib into your room until your baby is at least six months old.
· Make sure the crib has a firm mattress and avoid soft surfaces. Remove blankets, bumpers, toys or pillows.
· Overheating an infant is a risk for SIDS. Clothe your infant to keep him warm, but avoid too many layers or warm room temperatures. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests placing an oscillating fan in the room to help circulation and cooling of air.
· Offer your infant a pacifier. Studies have shown a lower rate of SIDS with infants who use pacifiers.
· Breast-feed your infant whenever possible. Natural milk decreases the likelihood of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, known to contribute to SIDS risk.
xoxo
-Carla
April 24th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
SIDS is sad, I’ve a friend who lost a young infant to this. Yet the mania vs the stats don’t add up, and have made my husband a raving lunatic. I’ve a nine month infant who has never slept with a toy/blanket and has always been surrounded with circulated air. Altho she does refuse to sleep on her back since the day she learned to roll over. lol