Learn the ABCs of safe sleep to keep infants safe.
Before it’s time to teach a child his ABCs, parents and caregivers need to know the crucially
important ABCs of safe sleep. Unsafe sleep practices, including co-sleeping, continue to be a
leading cause of preventable infant deaths in our community. In fact, 21 Tampa Bay infants died
from unsafe sleep practices in 2019. In the last six years 166 infants have died for unsafe sleep
in our community.
Babies should always be put to sleep Alone, on their Backs, and in a Crib. The ABCs of safe
sleep minimize the risk of the infant suffocating, especially if they have not yet developed neck
muscle control.
Additional ways to keep your child safe:
Never co-sleep. Co-sleeping, which means having babies sleep in the same bed as
parents, siblings or caregivers, is often the cause of sleep-related infant death. When co-
sleeping, a baby may suffocate if an adult unintentionally rolls on top of them or if the
baby is up against a pillow or blanket. More infants die in adult beds than anywhere else,
and infants are 40 times more likely to die in an adult bed than in their own crib.
Bring the crib into the parent or caregiver’s room. Sharing a room with a child offers
almost all of the same benefits of sharing a bed, but without the risks. It’s recommended
to bring the baby’s crib, or a smaller bassinet, into the parents’ room for the first year of
the baby’s life.
Follow crib setup recommendations. A crib’s mattress should be firm and fit snugly
inside the crib’s frame. Crib sheets should fit tightly around the mattress. A baby’s
sleeping area should be free of blankets, pillows, bumper pads, stuffed animals, sleep
positioners and toys.
Be prepared for naptime and bedtime away from home. Make plans for proper sleeping
arrangements like a crib or pack-n-play with a fitted sheet if your child sleeps at
someone else’s home, such as with grandparents or other caregivers. Never use a blow-
up mattress, recliner, couch or adult bed, which pose a significant danger to infants.
Learn from the past. As more information becomes available, parents and caregivers
must let go of some outdated practices in order to provide children with the safest
environment possible for sleeping. Habits about car seats and lead paint have changed;
it’s now time to change co-sleeping habits.
It’s important that caregivers, babysitters, relatives or anyone else caring for a baby know the
ABCs of safe sleep, too.
Even one preventable child death is too many. For more information on sleep safety and ways
to prevent needless child deaths, visit PreventNeedlessDeaths.com
.
Comments