Why is there a need to talk about safe sleep for babies? In 2012 there were 1,047 deaths of infants in Ohio. Per every 1,000 live births there were 6.37 deaths of white babies and 13.93 deaths of black babies. This shows a huge disparity where black babies die twice as often during their first year of life as white babies.
The death of any baby brings intense sadness for parents and family. Every baby does matter. Although we cannot prevent every death there are some things parents and relatives can do to reduce the number of infant deaths. How can you keep your baby safe when they are sleeping?
In Ohio more than 60% of sleep related infant deaths happen when babies sleep on the same surface as an adult or a child. Why might this happen? When a baby cries at night the adult might try to calm them by holding them. Then the adult falls asleep and unintentionally rolls over on the baby causing suffocation. Sometimes the sleeping surface is a sofa and as the adult falls asleep the child gets wedged between cushions and is unable to breathe. Pillows, bumper pads, stuffed toys and blankets in the crib have all interfered with a baby’s ability to breathe.
With all of this in mind it is easy to understand some simple changes that could make a difference. The ABC’s of Safe Sleep are:
A = Have baby sleep alone
B = Have baby sleep on his/her back
C = Have baby sleep in her/his own crib
You can help get the word out to expecting and new parents about a simple way to keep their baby safe. Share the ABC’s of Safe Sleep with everyone you know. Let’s change this statistic and keep babies safe as they sleep.
