The National Institutes of Health launched the Safe to Sleep campaign some time ago to put an end to infant deaths due to sleep-related hazards, but, according to recent research, many parents are still putting their children in harm’s way.
The National Institutes of Health launched the Safe to Sleep campaign some time ago to put an end to infant deaths due to sleep-related hazards, but, according to recent research, many parents are still putting their children in harm’s way.
The study involved 160 one, three, and six-month old babies who were recorded on video while at rest.
Researchers from the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine found that 87-93% babies were sleeping in potentially hazardous environments containing loose bedding, pillows, bumpers, and stuffed animals.
Further, 14-33% were placed in rest positions other than those recommended and 10-21% snoozed upon surfaces outside of the realm of what is suggested.
All of those situations have been found to put infants at risk related to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and accidental suffocation or strangulation.
The team also found out that in a number of cases, the infants had been moved, often to a parent’s hazard-ridden bed, during the night.
