It seems a lot of parents are still not following the sleep-safety guidelines when it comes to putting babies to sleep on their backs, or so says this latest study published in the journal, Pediatrics.
Back-sleeping has been recommended since the 90s as the safest sleeping position for infants under the age of one—and with good reason. It’s managed to decrease the number of SIDS cases dramatically over the past two decades. However, the rate of other sleep-related deaths have been increasing, like suffocation and strangulation, which can also be classified as SUID, or sudden unexpected infant death.
Some moms still admit to letting babies sleep on their tummies, which increases the risk for sudden unexpected infant death or SUID
photo: dreamstime
Surveying 3,300 moms across the United States of America, they found that nearly half of them would sometimes put babies to sleep on their tummies.
Dr. Michael Goodstein of York Hospital in Pennsylvania, U.S.A., the study’s lead researcher, believes some moms still worry that their babies might choke if they “spit up” while sleeping on their backs. But these fears are unfounded because, as he clarifies, the anatomy of a baby’s airways simply keep this from happening.
Moms who are afraid that their babies could choke in their sleep if they lay them down flat on their backs are even more worried by the fact that not much is known about SIDS. But they can take comfort in the fact that more and more research is helping us get closer to finding answers as to why SIDS happens and how it can be further prevented. So far, low birth weight, sleeping on their tummy or on soft surfaces, brain defects, and respiratory disease or infection are some of the known factors that put babies at risk for SIDS.
For now, it’s important to prioritize back sleeping on a firm surface, with a fitted sheet, and no pillows, blankets, stuffed toys or crib bumpers to ensure your baby sleeps safely and blissfully.
sources: Babble, American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org
READ: How to avoid the 3 Leading causes of accidental infant and toddler deaths