The newest information regarding
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) instructs parents and providers to place
babies on their backs while in the crib. Medical professionals warn against
fluffy pillows, blankets, bumper pads, and stuffed animals inside the crib
with baby. They are recommending that the crib mattress be covered with a
tight fitting sheet only, and suggest one blanket wrapped around baby and
tucked under the mattress or dressing baby in blanket sleepers.
Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome - SIDS
By Dr. Sue Aronson
Question
We know that the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is reduced when babies
are placed on their backs to sleep. Don’t babies have more trouble
sleeping and an increased risk of choking when they sleep on their backs?
Answer
No.
New research shows people are mistaken who think babies sleep better on
their tummies, or are more likely to have some health problem if they sleep
on their backs. Data collected over the past decade shows that back-only
positioning helps to prevent SIDS. Now we know putting babies down to sleep
on their backs reduces symptoms and improves sleeping.
SIDS occurs more frequently during the hours infants are in child care than
when babies are in their own homes. Sadly, back-only positioning is less
commonly practiced in child care. This finding led to this year’s launch
of a national campaign to promote back sleeping positioning and other SIDS
reduction measures in child care. Back-only positioning for sleeping is
known to reduce the incidence of SIDS by 40%.
Now, a May 2003 report published in the Archives of Pediatrics &
Adolescent Medicine shows that many of the excuses teachers give for
improper sleep positioning are not valid. A three year study of 3,733
infants looked at symptoms and illness associated with sleep positioning of
infants in Massachusetts and Ohio.
The study found no increase of symptoms or illness for infants who were
placed on their backs for sleep. These babies had no more spitting up or
vomiting, trouble sleeping, fever, cough, wheezing, stuffy nose, trouble
breathing, diarrhea, ear infection, colic, seizure, or injury. In fact,
infants who consistently slept on their backs through age 6 months had fewer
reports of stuffy nose and fewer visits to the medical office for ear
infections at 6 months than babies who slept on their tummies. Also, sleep
problems were less frequent at 6 months for infants who slept on their
backs.
BACK-TO-SLEEP should be a program requirement unless a doctor says the child
has one of the very rare medical reasons not to do so.
Reference
Hunt, Lesko, et al. (2003). Arch. Pediatr. Adolesc Med., 157:469-474.
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SIDS
ALERT 