The American Academy of Pediatrics for the first time since 2016 updated its recommendations to reduce the risk of sleep-related infant deaths. The recommendations, outlined in a release from Gov. David Ige’s office, coincide with October being Safe Sleep and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month and the Hawaii State Department of Health reminding everyone of the importance of infant safety while sleeping.
“There are about 3,500 sleep-related deaths among US babies each year, many of which are preventable,” Sage Goto, head of Safe Sleep Hawaii, a public-private initiative led by DOH, said in the release. “The death of an infant affects everyone—parents, grandparents, siblings, and others—who all experience the grief of losing a baby.”
The updated recommendations include: always place your baby on their back for naptime and bedtime, or whenever they sleep; never put any soft objects such as pillows, blankets, toys, or crib bumpers where your baby is sleeping; and infants should sleep in your room and close to your bed, but on a separate surface designed for infants, ideally for at least the first six months.
The baby should always sleep on a firm, flat surface like a mattress with a fitted sheet, and the surface must not have an incline larger than 10 degrees. The babies should breastfeed and/or feed human milk to both term and preterm infants for at least the first six months if possible. A pacifier should be offered at naptime and bedtime to reduce the risk of SIDS, and never smoke or use substances around your baby or let anyone smoke or use substances around your baby.
In addition, smoking and using substances such as alcohol, marijuana, opioids, or other illicit drugs should be avoided during pregnancy and after birth.
“We’ve made great strides in learning what keeps infants safe during sleep but much work still needs to be done,” said Rachel Moon, MD, FAAP, lead author of the statement and technical report, generated by the AAP Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and the AAP Committee on Fetus and Newborn said on the AAP website.
“A baby’s death is tragic, heartbreaking, and often preventable. If we’ve learned anything, it’s that simple is best: babies should always sleep in a crib or bassinet, on their back, without soft toys, pillows, blankets or other bedding,” Dr. Moon, professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine said on the website.