There will come a time every day when, finally, it’s time for your baby (and you) to take a much deserved nap. Of course, the best sleep is a safe sleep, and a safe sleep position is one that reduces your baby’s risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, also known as SIDS.
This means putting your baby to sleep on his back. Every time.
According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), SIDS is the leading cause of death for infants between one month and one year of age. Most of these devastating events occur between 2 and 4 months of age. Babies of African American, American Indian and Alaskan Native descent are at particularly high risk.
To address this important problem, the NICHD instituted the Back to Sleep Campaign in 1994. Since then, the number of babies dying of SIDS has been reduced by 50 percent. Putting your baby to sleep on his or her back is just one of the ten recommendations which have produced theses remarkable public health results.
To help reduce your baby’s risk, we encourage you to obtain, print, post and share free copies of the NICHD brochure, Safe Sleep for Your Baby.
Additional printable information can also be obtained online from the SIDS Center.
Tomorrow – Reducing your baby’s risk of SIDS – The NICHD’s Safe Sleep Top 10.
The information in this blog post was derived from the two sources named above. While reliable, this information is not intended as a substitute for your personal medical care. Readers are directed to consult with their personal health care team members when addressing the individual healthcare needs for themselves and their babies.