Page 9 - Perspectives 2017 | 1st Quarter

Safe Sleep Recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
The following infant sleeping guidelines are designated to help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related conditions.
1. Place infants on their back to sleep (supine) for every sleep period until they are one-year-old. This position does not increase the risk of choking and aspiration.
2. Use a firm sleep surface.
3. Breastfeeding is recommended.
4. Infants should sleep in the parents’ room close to the parents’ bed but on a separate surface designed for infants, ideally for the first year, but at least for the first six months.
5. Keep soft objects and loose bedding out of the infant’s sleep area.
6. Consider offering a pacifier at naptime and bedtime.
7. Avoid smoke exposure during pregnancy and after birth.
8. Avoid alcohol and illicit drug use during pregnancy and after birth.
9. Avoid overheating and head covering in infants.
10. Pregnant women should obtain regular prenatal care.
11. Infants should be immunized according to the recommended schedule.
12. Avoid using commercial devices that are inconsistent with safe sleep recommendations, such as wedges and positioners.
13. Don’t use home cardiorespiratory monitors as a strategy to reduce SIDS risk.
14. Supervised tummy time while the infant is awake can help the child’s development and mini- mize positional Plagiocephaly.
15. There is no evidence to recommend swaddling to reduce the risk of SIDS.
16. Health care professionals and staff in newborn nurseries and neonatal intensive care units as well as child care providers should endorse and model recommendations to reduce SIDS risk.
17. Media and manufacturers should follow safe sleep guidelines in messaging and advertising.
18. Continue the Safe to Sleep campaign, focusing on ways to further reduce sleep-related deaths.
19. Research and surveillance should continue on all risk factors.
If you have any concerns, we recommend you speak to your health provider for more information.
The above information was provided by www.aappublications.org/new.