Infant Death Risk-Reduction Guidelines Revised by AAP
By Lifesaver Education
While deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) have decreased by nearly 50 percent since the Back to Sleep campaign began in the early 1990's, deaths from other sleep-related causes, including asphyxiation and suffocation, have risen. As a result, new guidelines for safe sleep have been released by the American Academy of Pediatrics, released in the November, 2011 issue of Pediatrics.
The new guidelines provide parents, caregivers and hospital staff with tips aimed at reducing all sleep-related infant deaths, including SIDS. The new guidelines include three important prevention strategies for SIDS: breastfeeding, immunizations and avoiding the use of bumpers in infants' cribs. A 2007 meta-analysis found that a history of breastfeeding was associated with a 37 percent reduction of incidents of SIDS. Other studies have shown similar findings. It is now recommended that all babies be breastfed, preferably exclusively, for the first six months of life to reduce the risk of SIDS. Immunizations have also been found to be a factor in SIDS; studies show that vaccinations can reduce the risk of SIDS by 50 percent. Evidence against the use of bumpers shows that they do not necessarily decrease the risk of injury, but rather increase the risk of suffocation, entrapment, and strangulation.
In addition to these new guidelines, recommendations to decrease the risk of sleep-related deaths include the following:
• Never place your baby on his tummy to sleep, rather than on his back or side, until he begins to roll over on his own. Make sure your baby's caregivers always put your baby on her back as well, even if she's upset.
• Always put your baby to sleep on a horizontal, firm surface. Avoid allowing your baby to sleep routinely in his car seat or other device that holds the baby upright.
• Don't sleep in the same bed as your baby. The risk for suffocation and entrapment in bedding is much higher. There is also a danger of rolling over on the baby or accidentally suffocating her during sleep.
• Avoid using any kind of wedge or positioning device in the crib. The best rule of thumb is to have absolutely nothing in the crib except the baby.
• There is an association between smoking and SIDS. Avoid smoking during and after pregnancy, and keep the home entirely smoke-free.
• A pacifier during naps and nighttime sleep is recommended.
• Don't cover your infant's head during sleep, and don't allow him to become overheated. To keep your baby warm, swaddle her or, for older infants, put her in a sleep sack.
The new recommendations are aimed at entirely eliminating sleep-related infant deaths. By following the new guidelines and eliminating all items from the crib, including bumpers, the deaths associated with strangulation, asphyxiation, entrapment and suffocation will be drastically reduced. To learn more about AAP guidelines for infants as well as other lifesaving measures, visit your local Los Angeles BLS class at Lifesaver Education or find an online CPR class.
Leave a Comment
Subscribe to RSS feed
"The instructors were wonderful. Best training facility I have been to."
-
Terrell K.
Follow us
on Facebook