| Did you know that as of November 12, 2022, manufacturers in the U.S. are no longer allowed to produce, market or sell inclined sleepers for infants or crib bumpers? Safe Sleep for Babies Act Business Guidance from the Consumer Product Safety Commission |
Sleep is vital for all of us but it’s especially important for babies and having a safe-sleep environment for your baby is crucial for their well-being.
One of the best things you can do to ensure that your baby sleeps safely both at night and during naptime is to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’ safe sleep recommendations. According to data from the Colorado Child Fatality Prevention System, each year in Colorado around 50 infants die suddenly and unexpectedly while they sleep, sometimes called Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Most of these sleep-related infant deaths are preventable.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the following safe sleep practices:
- Place your baby on their back for all sleep times - naps and at night.
- Use a firm, flat, noninclined sleep surface to reduce the risk of suffocation or wedging/entrapment.
- Feeding of human milk is associated with a reduced risk of SIDS.
- Infants should sleep in the parents’ room, close to the parents’ bed, but on a separate surface designed for infants, ideally for at least the first 6 months.
- Keep soft objects, such as pillows, pillow-like toys, quilts, comforters, mattress toppers, fur-like materials, and loose bedding, such as blankets and nonfitted sheets, away from the infant’s sleep area to reduce the risk of SIDS, suffocation, entrapment/wedging, and strangulation.
- Avoid smoke and nicotine exposure during pregnancy and after birth.
- Avoid alcohol, marijuana, opioids, and illicit drug use during pregnancy and after birth.
- Avoid head covering in infants.
- Those who are pregnant should obtain regular prenatal care.
- Do not use home cardiorespiratory monitors as a strategy to reduce the risk of SIDS.
More information on safe sleep