October 1, 2024

October is Safe Sleep and SIDS Awareness Month and it’s a great time to check that your baby is sleeping as safely as possible. SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and other sleep-related deaths claim the lives of thousands of babies in America each year. The good news is, most of these deaths are preventable. You can take simple steps to reduce danger in your infant’s sleeping environment. Let’s explore some of best ways that caregivers — including parents, grandparents, relatives, babysitters, child care providers and others — can keep babies safe, according to the National Institutes for Health.

1. Place babies on their backs to sleep.

   Babies should always sleep on their backs until they are 1-year-old. If a baby normally sleeps on their back, placing them on their stomach or side to sleep increases the risk for SIDS by up to 45 times.

2. Babies need to sleep on a firm, flat, level surface, with only a fitted sheet in their space.

   To create a safe sleep environment, ensure that your crib and crib mattress meet the safety standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Never put baby on a soft surface like a sofa, waterbed, memory foam, air mattress or pillowtop mattress. Don’t use any blankets to cover your baby. Babies should not sleep on inclined surfaces, including car seats, strollers and carrying devices. Babies should not sit slumped over, with their chin on their chest. Any of these scenarios could cause your baby to stop breathing. Do not put anything in your baby’s crib.

3. Feeding your baby breast milk can reduce their risk of SIDS.

   If you are able to offer your baby breast milk, it can reduce the risk for SIDS. In most cases, feeding baby breast milk exclusively for the first six months is recommended. Check with your pediatrician to learn more about your baby’s needs.

4. Share a room, but not a bed, with your baby for at least the first six months.

   Babies in their own sleep space are at lower risk for injury and death from SIDS and situations like an adult or sibling accidentally rolling over them. Keeping a baby near you, but not in the same bed, makes it easier to check on your baby.

5. Offer baby a pacifier when they go to sleep.

   Pacifiers may be offered once breastfeeding is well established, or at any time if your baby is formula-fed. Pacifiers can be helpful in lowering SIDS risk. Do not alter the pacifier in any way or attach it to the baby.

6. Do not smoke or vape during pregnancy or in baby’s environment. Remain alcohol and drug-free during pregnancy and when around baby.

   Smoking during pregnancy greatly increases your baby’s risk of SIDS, as does smoking or vaping around baby. Drug and alcohol use during pregnancy, or by caregivers, also increases the risk of SIDS.

7. Avoid letting your baby get too hot and leave baby’s head and face uncovered during sleep.

   To lower the risk for SIDS, dress baby in clothes suitable for the temperature of the room and don’t let baby sleep in a hat. Never leave your baby in a vehicle.

8. Get regular medical care throughout pregnancy and follow your health care provider’s advice on vaccines, check-ups and other health issues for yourself and your baby.

   Prenatal care could lower the risk for SIDS, and research shows that vaccinated babies are at lower risk for SIDS.

9. Avoid products that claim to prevent SIDS.

   No product can prevent SIDS. Many wedges and inclined sleepers are linked to injury and death. Heart, breathing, motion and other monitors are ineffective at detecting or preventing SIDS. Ask your health care provider before using any of these products. The Consumer Product Safety Commission also has more information about safety standards for baby products.

10. Don’t swaddle babies that can roll over (usually around 3 months of age).

    Swaddling does not reduce the risk of SIDS and may increase the chance of suffocation once baby can roll over on their own. Always use the back sleeping position with a swaddled baby.

11. Make a safety plan for feeding baby when you are tired.

    It’s best to ensure two caregivers are awake during nighttime feedings in case one person falls asleep, which can put baby at risk for suffocation. Visit the National Institutes of Health for more information on breastfeeding safety and safe sleep habits.

12. Give babies tummy time when they are awake and being watched.

    Tummy time is beneficial to babies, but babies should be awake and should be watched when they are on their tummies.

Did you know that El Paso County Public Health has many resources for new and expecting parents? Some of our programs include:

• Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) – This program provides home visits from public health nurses that improve the health, well-being and self-sufficiency of first-time parents and their children in El Paso and Teller counties. Home visits begin during pregnancy and continue until your child is 2 years old.

• Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) – This program provides supplemental food assistance, information on healthy eating, breastfeeding support and community referrals. It supports eligible pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age 5.

• The Maternal and Child Health Program (MCH) – This program is committed to improving the health, development and well-being of children and youth with special health care needs through advocacy, education, and information resources.

• Adult & Child Immunizations – This program provides vaccines to adults and children. The program provides low-cost vaccinations to all, including those using Medicaid, and those who are under- or un-insured.