EDITORIAL: Keep sleeping babies safe: Follow the ABCs

Published 8:36 am Monday, September 16, 2024

September is Baby Safety Month.

It’s a good time to remind parents of infants not to place infants in bed with them.

“As parents, it is very tempting to want to place your infant in your bed so you can comfort them and feel ‘safe’ while they sleep,” according to a GBI statement. “Georgia Child Fatality Review urges parents to resist this temptation.”

Approximately 3,500 babies a year die of sleep-related infant deaths, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

A sleeping parent can roll over on a small infant suffocating the baby. The parent has no idea until waking up, according to past incident reports.

Doctors often share the ABC approach with parents of infants.

The ABCs of Safe Sleeping: “Alone on their Backs in a safe Crib.”

The GBI Child Fatality Review Unit breaks down the ABCs:

– Alone: “Babies should sleep alone in their own sleep space, close but separate from their caregiver.”

– Back: “Babies should be placed on their backs to sleep. Every sleep. Every nap. Every time.”

– Crib: “Babies should sleep in a crib or bassinet with a firm, flat surface with no extra items such as blankets or toys.”

We urge our readers to follow these steps and to share them with parents of infant children.

September may be Baby Safety Month but it’s good advice for any month, every day.