By Erin Summa, MPH
Inclined sleepers and crib bumper pads will no longer be made or sold in the United States, thanks to the new Safe Sleep for Babies Act signed into law May 2022. This is in addition to new regulations in effect just last week requiring any baby product marketed for sleep to follow the same federal safety standards as traditional cribs.
This is good news and another step forward in prevention strategies for sleep-related infant death, which is the leading cause of fatalities for babies 1-12 months old.
With these dangerous products finally pulled from the market, babies in our community should be safer already, but take a close look at used or borrowed baby items to make sure they meet current standards.
Hint: If it’s a bumper pad, a product that raises baby’s head while they sleep or a crib made before 2011, it does not meet current standards.
That’s not all that’s happening in infant sleep safety. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) just released their long-awaited 2022 guidelines for reducing sleep-related deaths, a term that includes sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and suffocation during sleep.
The most important thing you can do is provide a safe sleep environment. Follow these AAP recommendations for the first year of life to keep your baby safe:
The AAP adds the following recommendations beyond the safe sleep environment, as they can also reduce sleep-related death in infants:
Remember that babies are sensitive to routine, so your best bet is to establish safe routines with your newborn right away, as sleep difficulties are easier to prevent than they are to solve. But late is better than never, so the moment you learn how to keep baby safer, that is your time to start.
If you are struggling, reach out to your pediatric provider for support and resources, or to our child safety educators at the Mary Bridge Center for Childhood Safety.
Safe sleep isn’t always easy, but your baby is worth the effort.
Safe infant sleep updates for 2022: What you need to know to keep … – MultiCare.org
