A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than half of U.S. parents are still using soft bedding for their sleeping babies, even though it’s been linked to an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
The dangers of soft bedding have been proven “Soft pillows and loose blankets can obstruct babies’ airways and lead to suffocation ““ so why are parents still using it?
According to Dr. John La Count, a pediatrician with St. Elizabeth Physicians’ Florence office, it’s a case of parents telling you one thing but, at times, doing another.
“We tell families about the issues and risks, we tell them not to sleep with their babies and not to put them on their stomachs,” he said.
Although it isn’t common “53 babies out of 100,000 in the United States died from SIDS in 2010 ““ SIDS is the leading cause of death in the United States for babies between 1 month and 1 year old.
The exact cause of SIDS isn’t clear (most experts believe it occurs when a baby has an underlying health issue, such as immature heart or lung functioning, which is why premature babies are more at risk for SIDS than full-term babies). Still, ways to significantly reduce your baby’s risk for SIDS are clear.
Here are a few of the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations, but for a full list click here:
1. Put your baby to sleep on his or her back.
One of the most important things you can do, if not the most important thing, is to keep your baby off his or her belly when sleeping. The rate of deaths from SIDS has dropped about 50 percent since 1994, when the “Back to Sleep” campaign first launched.
2. Be careful with your baby’s bedding.
Babies should be put to sleep on firm, flat mattresses with nothing but a fitted sheet underneath them. That means no toys, pillows, or blankets. That also means no crib bumpers.
You also shouldn’t let your baby sleep for too long in anything other than a crib or Pack ‘n Play because if his or her head rolls forward too much, it could lead to suffocation.
3. Don’t let your baby get too hot.
Dress your baby as you would dress yourself, whether that’s for bed or for going out, even in the winter, and watch for signs of overheating, such as sweating or damp hair.
4. Keep your baby away from cigarette smoke.
Cigarette smoke exposure has been shown to increase a baby’s risk for SIDS. No one should smoke in the house, car, or anywhere near your baby, even if you’re outside.
In addition to the AAP’s guidelines, ignore advertisements promoting soft bedding. According to the CDC study, parents might still be using the potentially dangerous bedding because advertising companies have more money to promote it than the SIDS risk reduction campaign has to advise against it.
That means that no matter how cozy that ad makes a crib bumper look, trust it’s a bad idea.
