MemorialCare - Your Guide to Postpartum and Newborn Care

Safe Sleep

Every year in the United States, nearly 3,500 infants under the age of 1 die suddenly of a sleep-related cause. These deaths are categorized as Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUIDs) . While some SUIDs can be medically explained, others will remain unexplained. Known causes of sleep-related death • Entrapment. Baby’s body or head becomes stuck between two objects. • Suffocation. Baby’s airway becomes blocked by a pillow, blanket, or other object. • Strangulation. Something tightly wraps around or compresses baby’s neck. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a subcategory of SUIDs that specifically describes a sleep-related death where the cause cannot be medically explained.

SCAN + PLAY

The ABCs of SAFE SLEEP

To reduce the risk of all sleep-related infant deaths, parents should learn and follow the ABCs of safe sleep:

ALONE Babies should sleep alone, not with other people, pillows, blankets, or stuffed animals

• Keep crib in parents’ room for first 6 months or longer • Baby sleeps in the same room, but not same bed • Use a wearable blanket in colder temperatures

BACK Babies should be placed on their back to nap or sleep, never on their side or stomach

In Their CRIB Babies should sleep in a crib, not on an adult bed, sofa, cushion, or other soft surface • Choose a firm, flat (not inclined) sleeping surface • Use fitted sheet on mattress, play yard, or other surface

• Keep cords (electrical, window blind, baby monitor) away from crib • Don’t allow loose ties (bibs, pacifiers, drawstrings) near sleeping baby

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Your Guide to Postpartum and Newborn Care