The single most effective thing you can do as a parent
to ensure the safety of your baby at home
is to provide a safe sleeping environment.
Providing a safe sleeping environment
protects your baby from a sleep-related death
or sudden unexpected infant death of a baby less than one.
These deaths occur from sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS,
accidental suffocation, entrapment, or strangulation.
Please follow these recommendations for safe sleep.
The ABCDEs of safe sleep are
A, alone,
B, back,
C, crib,
D, don't smoke,
E, every time.
A safe bed for your baby to sleep in is a crib.
A definition of a crib is a crib, bassinet, or playpen.
Your baby should always be alone.
This includes twins or multiples.
If you have multiples, they must have their own crib.
Some playpens have twin bassinets.
This would be acceptable
because it gives each baby their own separate sleep space.
Multiple babies should never sleep together.
Alone means alone.
If you do not have a safe environment for your infant,
please seek help from our NICU social workers.
They will work with you and other resources
to help get you what your baby needs.
Always put your baby on the back at night and for naps.
This position keeps your baby's airway open
and decreases the chance
that your baby could inhale vomit if they spit up.
If you are worried your baby may spit up,
try burping frequently during and after the feeding.
Hold your infant upright
for 20 to 30 minutes after the feeding.
If your infant spits up frequently,
discuss this with your infant's pediatrician.
Never place your baby on a tummy for sleep.
Eventually, your infant will start to roll over.
You should continue to lay your infant down on the back,
but allow them to roll on the belly
once developmentally ready.
The crib you have chosen for your infant to sleep in
should always be bare.
Only use a fitted sheet.
It's okay to use a thin mattress protector
under the fitted sheet,
but no bumper pads, comforters, stuffed animals, or pillows
should be in the sleep space for at least the first year.
Wearable blankets or sleep sacks
are a great alternative to loose blankets.
Loose blankets can get up over your baby's face.
Sleep sacks cannot get up over the face.
This is safest for unsupervised sleep.
Keep your baby in your room in the crib
for at least the first six months.
Here are some additional steps to reduce SIDS.
Breastfeed your baby.
Offer a pacifier once breastfeeding is established.
Do not let let your baby get too hot during sleep,
and follow your pediatrician recommendations
for checkups and vaccinations.
Do not smoke or allow others to smoke
in your home, car, or around your baby.
Second and third-hand smoke
can increase your baby's risk for SIDS.
Many items sold in stores may not be safe for newborns
and have caused infant deaths.
Do not use sleep positioners
or bassinets that lay in your bed.
Please speak with your baby's pediatrician
prior to using a bouncy seat swing
or any other item you have purchased
for your baby to lay or sit in.
Every time means every time.
Sadly, Ohio continues to have some of the worst statistics
for infant sleep-related deaths in the country.
Every week in Ohio,
three babies die from unsafe sleep environments.
Sleep-related deaths are preventable.
By following the ABCDEs of safe sleep,
you will ensure a long, bright future for your little one.