Every year, around 3,500 newborns in the United States die unexpectedly while sleeping. The majority of these unfortunate fatalities are the result of SIDS or accidental deaths from suffocation or strangling. In this article, we will discuss about sleeping baby safe and recommended steps to be undertaken.
We changed our policy statement and technical report on safe sleep to lower the risk of all sleep-related newborn fatalities. This update to our 2016 guideline offers new suggestions as well as additional approaches to lowering the risk of SIDS. Continue reading for more details.
Recommendations for creating a safe sleeping environment
Although there is no sure strategy to prevent SIDS, research indicates that providing a secure sleep environment for your infant can help minimize his or her risk of SIDS.
We also understand how to avoid accidental suffocation and strangling in bed. Our safe sleep advice helps keep newborns safe from these tragedies.
A safe sleeping environment reduces the likelihood of all sleep-related baby fatalities. Here are some ideas to help you establish a secure sleeping environment.
Baby safe sleeping
For all naps and at night, place your infant on their back.
Newborns who sleep on their backs are far less likely than newborns who sleep on their stomachs or sides to die abruptly and unexpectedly. The disadvantage of the side position is that your baby can quickly roll onto their stomach. Some parents are concerned that their newborns will choke while lying on their backs. However, your baby’s airway structure and gag reflex will prevent this from happening. Even infants suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD) should sleep on their backs.
Remember to also:
A newborn should be placed skin-to-skin with their mother for at least one hour following birth. After that, or if the mother wants to sleep or attend to other requirements, the infant should be placed in a bassinet with no slope.
Preemies may need to be placed on their stomachs momentarily while in the NICU, but once they’re medically stable, they should be placed on their backs. This allows them to become accustomed to resting on their backs before returning home.
Some infants turn on their stomachs. You should always put your baby to sleep on their back, but if they’re comfortable rolling both ways (back to stomach, tummy to back), you don’t need to keep turning them. However, make sure there are no blankets, pillows, plush animals, or bumper pads in your baby’s crib. Your infant might roll into any of these things, obstructing their ventilation.
Make use of a solid, level sleeping surface.
When your infant is lying on a hard surface, it should not imprint. Any surface that is higher than ten degrees of the slope is unsafe for your infant to sleep on.
Place your infant in a crib, bassinet, portable crib, or play yard that satisfies Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) safety regulations.
Check the CPSC website to see whether your crib has been recalled, especially if it isn’t brand new.
Check that your crib mattress is suited for your specific crib and fits snugly. Only a fitted sheet should be used in the cot with your kid.
Do not utilize a crib that lacks instructions, has missing hardware, or is defective.
Alternative sleep surfaces are only considered safe if they comply with the CPSC requirement that all newborn sleep items must fulfill the existing federal safety standards for cribs, bassinets, portable cribs, and play yards by June 2021. Inclined sleep goods, hammocks, baby boxes, in-bed sleepers, baby nests and pods, compact bassinets, portable bassinets, and baby tents are all examples. Avoid products that do not fulfill government safety regulations.
If your baby falls asleep in a car seat, stroller, swing, infant carrier, or sling, shift them as quickly as possible to a hard sleep surface on their back.
Use only sleep products that are particularly promoted for infants. Boppy pillows and Dock-a-Tots are two examples.
In an emergency, you can temporarily place your kid in a box, basket, dresser drawer, or similar container. It should be padded lightly yet firmly. As soon as you can obtain a CPSC-approved sleep surface, switch your infant to it.
If you require financial assistance, there are organizations around the United States that offer low-cost or free sleep surfaces. Consult your local Social Services office.
Never sleep with your child.
The AAP does not encourage bed sharing with your infant under any circumstances, based on the data. Twins and other multiples are included.
If you bring your baby into your bed to feed or soothe them, return them to their own sleeping area when you’re ready to sleep.
If you think you might fall asleep while your infant is in your bed, ensure there are no pillows, sheets, blankets, or other materials that could cover or warm your baby’s face, head, and neck. As soon as you wake up, place your infant in their own bed.
Avoid sleeping with your infant in other places as well. When newborns sleep with someone on a sofa, soft armchair, or cushion, the risk of sleep-related infant mortality is up to 67 times higher.
It is especially vital not to bedshare with your kid if:-
you have consumed alcohol, used marijuana, or taken any medications or illegal drugs. Babies who share a bed with someone who is tired has taken medications that make it difficult for them to wake up, or has used substances such as alcohol or narcotics are at a greater risk of dying from sleep-related causes.
Your child is either very young, undersized, or was born prematurely. When your baby is younger than 4 months old, the risk of sleep-related infant mortality during bed-sharing is 5 to 10 times higher. Furthermore, the risk of sleep-related infant mortality is 2–5 times higher if your baby was delivered prematurely or with low birth weight.
Instead of sharing a bed, consider sharing a room with your child.
For at least the first six months, keep your baby’s sleeping place in the same room where you sleep. Place your baby’s crib, bassinet, portable crib, or play yard near your bed in your bedroom. The American Academy of Pediatrics advocates room sharing because it can reduce the incidence of SIDS by up to 50% and is far safer than bed sharing. Sharing a room will also make it easier for you to feed, calm, and monitor your baby.
Soft items and loose bedding should be kept away from your baby’s sleeping space.
These items can enhance your baby’s chances of becoming entrapped, suffocated, or strangled. This includes pillows and pillow-like toys, quilts, comforters, mattress toppers, non-fitted sheets, blankets, toys, bumper pads, and other crib-related things.
If you are concerned that your baby may become chilly, clothe them in layers of clothing or use a wearable blanket. In general, you should only clothe your kid in one layer more than you are.
Weighted blankets, sleepers, swaddles, and other weighted objects should not be used on or around your infant.
Do not allow your infant to become hot.
SIDS can be exacerbated by overheating. To be comfortable, your kid simply needs one more layer than you would in the same situation.
Check your infant for overheating symptoms such as perspiration, a heated chest, or flushed skin.
When you go home from the hospital, don’t put a cap on your newborn.
Other strategies to reduce the risk of SIDS
Along with maintaining a safe sleep environment, here are some more strategies to minimize your baby’s risk of SIDS:.
Breastfeed your child.
Human milk appears to lessen the risk of SIDS. The longer you feed your infant breast milk, the more protection he or she will receive.
Breastfeed your baby or give him or her expressed breast milk. The AAP advises nursing as your baby’s sole source of nourishment for the first 6 months.
Even after you begin introducing solid foods to your baby’s diet, continue nursing for at least 12 months, or longer if you and your baby so choose.
read more on complementary feeding
Give your infant a pacifier during naps and nighttime.
Even if the pacifier slips out after your baby has fallen asleep, this helps lower the risk of SIDS. However, take in mind:
Wait until breastfeeding is established before introducing a pacifier to your breastfed infant. This implies your milk production is enough, nursing is comfortable and consistent, your baby is latching properly, and they are gaining weight as expected.
If you are not nursing your child, you can begin using the pacifier whenever you like.
It’s fine if your infant refuses to use a pacifier. You may try again later, but some infants just don’t like them. If your baby’s pacifier slips out after he or she falls asleep, you do not need to replace it.
When your infant is napping, do not hang a pacifier around their neck or tie it to their clothing.
Get regular prenatal care and avoid using substances while pregnant.
There is compelling evidence that regular prenatal care lowers your baby’s risk of SIDS. Also, avoid using alcohol, marijuana, opiates, or illegal substances while pregnant and after your kid is delivered. When newborns are exposed to alcohol or illegal drugs, the risk of SIDS increases.
Don’t smoke or use nicotine during pregnancy or after your baby is born
Smoking while you’re pregnant, and smoking in your baby’s environment after birth, are significant risk factors for SIDS. Don’t smoke anywhere near your baby, even if you’re outside. This includes vaping and electronic cigarettes, which contain nicotine. Keep your car and home smoke-free. Remove secondhand smoke from any areas where your baby and other nonsmokers spend time. If you’re a smoker or have smoked during pregnancy, remember that it’s incredibly crucial that you don’t bed share with your infant. The risk of SIDS is very significant, even when the smoker doesn’t smoke in bed.
Swaddle your baby if you like
Just bear in mind that swaddling doesn’t lessen the risk of SIDS.
Make sure that your infant is always on their back while swaddling.
The swaddle should not be too tight or make it hard for your baby to breathe or move their hips.
Stop swaddling your baby when they appear to be attempting to roll over. The danger of suffocation is increased if your infant rolls to their stomach while they’re swaddled. Rolling over usually takes 3 to 4 months, but it can happen sooner.
Weighted swaddling blankets or weighted things such as rice sacks should not be used inside the swaddle.
Be cautious while buying certain things
Avoid baby products that do not adhere to safe sleep recommendations. This is particularly true for goods claiming to lessen the risk of SIDS or other sleep-related baby fatalities. There is just no data to support this. If you have any doubts about a product, go to the CPSC website.
Don’t use home cardiorespiratory monitors as a way to reduce the risk of SIDS. Consumer wellness products, such as heart rate and pulse oximetry monitors, are available. Some of these can be worn. But remember, there is no proof that these gadgets function to lessen SIDS risk. They are not subject to the same regulations as medical equipment. Be aware that these devices can give you a false sense
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