Infant Deaths on The Rise

There is a new study from the CDC being released on the increase of preventable infant deaths in the Untied States. The study was done over a 20-year span. The study also say's the infant deaths that were preventable have quadrupled since 1984.

What makes a "preventable" infant death? Most of the report cites that more and more new parent's or new mothers are having their babies sleep with them during the first year of life, thinking it's a comfort for the child to be close to
the parent.

The data in the report has been compared with studies from European countries where the young new mothers are taught and advised to let the infant sleep in its own crib. The data showed a dramatic drop in infant deaths falling from 160 per 100,000 (5,885) in 1984, to 92.4 (3,798) per 100,000 deaths a year. However, the rates of strangulation and suffocation have increased by 14 per cent in the U.S. These deaths could have been easily been classified as "over-lay" deaths, where the parent who is sleeping as the infant sleeps, rolls over onto the baby, and suffocates it as they both sleep.

How to Make Our Babies Safer

We need to change how we allow the babies to sleep. The baby should be left to sleep in its own cribs. In a quick solution, take the crib mattress out, place a regular sized twin sheet, long-ways across the bottom of the crib and up and over the sides. Put the crib mattress back in the crib, so that the crib mattress is on top of the sheet. Tie the end's of the sheet under the crib tightly. This will do in a pinch, to prevent baby's head from being caught in the side railings of the crib. Then, when you have the money or a chance to get one, get a crib-padding strip that goes around the top of the mattress and tie it around to the railings. These usually have the ties on the stripping.

You can always bring the bassinet into the room or let the baby sleep in the car seat, on the floor, in the bedroom next to your bed. Most infant's under 1 year of age, do not need a little pillow anyways. Bundle up the infant in sleepers, do not use blankets. The baby can become tangled up in them.

Check out the crib for safety. Use a semi-firm crib mattress with a crib fitted sheet made for that crib.

Keep toys and other loose soft items out of the crib as the infant is sleeping.

Sources:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,483064,00.html

http://www.downthelane.com/articles/?p=47