Health and Safety Resources for Parents

First Candle / SIDS Alliance www.firstcandle.org

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Office of Public Affairswww.cpsc.gov

National Institute of Child Health and Human Developmentwww.nichd.nih.gov

Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality By Laura A. Jana, MD, FAAP and Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAPPublished by the American Academy of Pediatricswww.aap.org

Happiest Baby on The Block, The New Way to Calm Cryingand Help Your Baby Sleep Longer by Dr. Harvey Karp, MDwww.happiestbaby.com

What is SIDS?

SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME (SIDS) is the sudden, unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant under one year of age that cannot be attributed to other causes. Most SIDS deaths occur when a baby is between 2 and 4 months old. 90% of all SIDS deaths occur before 6 months of age.

As a result of the national Back To SleepCampaign launched in 1994, SIDS deaths have declined by more than 50%. Despite that success, SIDS remains the leading cause of death for infants one month to one year of age, claiming the lives of approximately2,000 babies each year.

New research indicates that there may be a biological predisposition to SIDS, which maylead the way to preventing more SIDS deaths.At this time there is no known way to preventSIDS in all cases, but there are steps parentscan take to reduce the risk.

Reducing Your Baby’s Risk

• Maintain good prenatal care for you and yourunborn baby.

• Do not allow anyone to smoke near your baby.

• Put your baby to sleep on his or her back.

• Babies should not sleep on sofas or adult beds.

• Consider placing baby’s crib near where yousleep. Research shows that being close to yourbaby during sleep can reduce their risk of SIDS.

• Encourage babies to use a pacifier at nap andnighttime for the first year.

• Do not dress your baby too warmly for sleep;overheating may be a contributing factor in SIDS.

• Take your baby for scheduled well-child checkups and talk to your pediatrician aboutchanges in your baby’s behavior and health.

• Follow immunization schedules for your baby.

• Breastfeeding has been shown to be good for babies as it builds their immunity against illness and infection.

Source: First Candle/SIDS Alliance

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Check Your Crib for Safety

Older cribs may not meet current safety standards and are on the “Most Wanted” list at the Consumer Product Safety Commission(CPSC). Do not use any crib that does notmeet current safety standards.

• Use a firm, tight-fitting mattress, so baby cannot get trapped between the mattress andthe crib.

• Inspect the crib to be sure there are no missing, loose, or broken parts.

• There should be no more than 2 3/8” (about the width of a soda can) between crib slats.

• Do not use a crib with corner posts over 1/16”high to prevent baby’s clothes from catching.

• Do not use a crib with cutouts in the headboardor footboard that could entrap a baby.

• Make sure crib sheets fit snugly on a crib mattress so they cannot be dislodged by pulling on the corner of the sheet.

• Do not place crib near a window or close toblind cords, which are a strangulation risk; from1991 to 2000, CPSC received reports of 160strangulations involving cords on window blinds.

Source: United States Consumer Product Safety Commission

As a Leading Light and Founding Partner of FIRST CANDLE /SIDS ALLIANCE,Kiddopotamus donates a percentage

of the sale of each SwaddleMe® to help babies survive and thrive.

Swaddling and SIDS Reduction

New studies show that swaddling may reducethe risk of SIDS in several important ways:

• New research shows that swaddled babies sleep better and longer and may be less likely to succumb to SIDS. (PEDIATRICS Vol. 115 No. 5 May 2005)

• Because swaddled babies sleep better, parents are more likely to place them to sleep on theirbacks rather than in the unsafe tummy position. (PEDIATRICS Vol.110 No. 6 December 2002)

• Babies securely swaddled have reduced risk ofloose blankets covering their face.

• Swaddled babies are less likely to roll over ontotheir stomach.

Swaddling Helps Babies Soothe & Sleep

• Snug swaddling soothes babies by recreating the familiar snugness of being in the womb.

• Swaddling decreases the incidence of the startlereflex in which babies frequently awaken.

• Swaddling helps prevent overstimulation.

• Babies can be inefficient in regulating their owntemperature. Swaddling helps to keep them warm.

• Swaddling can make breastfeeding easier by containing baby’s extra movements.

Create a Sleep Safety Zone

Tummy sleeping and soft, fluffy or loose bedding can cause a dangerous buildup ofexhaled air around a sleeping baby’s face.The following guidelines can reduce the riskof suffocation:

• Place your baby to sleep on his or her back at nap and nighttime.

• Create a sleep safety zone by removing all soft,fluffy or loose bedding and toys (includingloose blankets and padded bumpers) from the crib.

• Use a wearable blanket or a sleeper to replaceloose blankets.

• Do not put your baby to sleep on any soft surface (sofas, chairs, waterbeds, quilts, blankets, sheepskins, etc.).

• Room sharing is safer than bed sharing.Infants sleeping in adult beds are at anincreased risk of suffocation and entrapment.

• Educate relatives, babysitters and other caregivers about these important safety tips.

Source: Recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

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