The Kids' Doctor- Safe to Sleep
By: Jacob Martin
Updated: March 13, 2013
By
the time new parents bring their baby home from the hospital, they
have been given a list of dos and don'ts when it comes to sleeping.
The biggest no-no? No stomach sleeping.
20
years ago, The American Academy of Pediatrics launched the "Back to
Sleep" campaign which reminded parents to do just that in order to
decrease a baby's risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.
Most
parents are aware that their infants should only be placed on their
backs to sleep, a study from Yale University showed that about 25
percent of parents continue to have their infant sleep on their
stomachs because they think the baby is more comfortable.
The
"Back to Sleep" campaign has been hugely successful with the
incidence of SIDS reduced by 50 percent!
The
newest public information campaign is called "Safe to Sleep".
The expanded recommendations now include no blankets, no toys, no
pillows and no wedges. This will this reduce the risk of SIDS as
well as other sleep-related causes of infant death, including
suffocation.
The
safest place for your infant to sleep continues to be on their back
and in their own crib, no co-sleeping. Also, keep a baby monitor
close by too.
