Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month: Join #SafeSleepSnap
October is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month so let's show what safe sleep looks like! Help us flood social media with safe sleep spaces by snapping a photo of your child and sharing it with your followers with the hashtag #SafeSleepSnap. Don't forget to tag @Before3ToSucceed!
More than 140 infants in Michigan die every year from sleeping in an unsafe sleep environment. In Oakland County, there were 77 sleep-related infant deaths between 2010 and 2017. Sleep-related infant deaths are those where the sleep environment was likely to have contributed to the death.
Infants can suffocate when sleeping in an adult bed or on other dangerous sleep surfaces, such as couches, armchairs or inclined sleepers, and when sleeping with other people or pets. To keep your baby safe, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends:
Placing baby on his or her back, in a crib, bassinet or pack n' play for every sleep time — naps and at night.
Using a firm mattress free of soft and loose bedding, such as bumpers, stuffed animals and blankets.
Keeping baby's sleep area in the same room where you sleep for the first 6 months or, ideally, for the first year.
Offering a pacifier at naptime and bedtime.
Keeping baby in a smoke-free environment.
Breastfeeding your baby.
Avoiding commercial devices that are inconsistent with safe sleep recommendations or that are marked to reduce risk of SIDS or sleep-related infant death.
Check out our photo gallery featuring safe sleep tips from the Oakland County Health Division.