April 2, 2018

Many aunts and godmothers have the responsibility of taking care of our infant and baby nieces and nephews when their parent(s) are not there. And while a lot of what we do to take care of these babies comes naturally, or at least with a little practice, a new study has found that we may not all be as well-educated as we need to be when it comes to baby  sleep safety.

A new study has found that of the more than 10,000 infant deaths due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) that the researchers analyzed, 1,375 occurred when a parent was not present and the baby was in the care of a babysitter, friend or relative. The babies who died during their sleep had been placed in unsafe sleep positions, such as on their stomachs, or in unsafe locations, such as a couch.

The researchers are urging anyone who cares for babies to be educated about safe sleep practices and the risk SIDS, the leading cause of death among babies between 1 month and a year of age. If you are taking care of a baby, Rachel Moon, MD, of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, the UVA Children's Hospital and UVA's Child Health Research Center, recommends that you make sure you place the baby “on the back in a crib and without any bedding.”

Reducing Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Among those 1,375 cases of SIDS when the baby was in the care of someone other than the baby’s parents, the found researchers determined:

- Babies were less likely to be placed on their back, the sleep position recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, than when under parental care.

- Babies were more likely to be placed in sleep environments with objects that might prove hazardous. The AAP recommends that sleep spaces be free of toys and soft bedding, including blankets and sleep bumpers.

- 72.5 percent of licensed childcare providers placed the babies in a crib or bassinet, as recommended. Among babysitters, this number was 49.1 percent. Among relatives, the number was only 29.4 percent, and among friends it was 27.1 percent.

-  54.1 percent of childcare providers had placed infants in the recommended supine position (on the back), compared with only 38.4 percent of relatives, 38.6 percent of friends and 37.8 percent of babysitters.

-  Deaths under the supervision of friends and relatives were most likely to occur while the babies were held or placed on an adult bed.

A lot of relatives and friends may not be aware that babies are safest on their backs," said researcher Jeffrey Colvin, MD, of Children's Mercy Kansas City. "They may have raised children before we knew that this was safest."

If you are responsible for a infant or baby niece or nephew, whether at night or during a shorter daytime nap, make sure to be educated on sleep safety for babies. The NIH site “Safe to Sleep” has all the information and resources you need to know how to provide the safest sleep time for your infant or baby nieces and nephews.

The researchers have published their findings in the Journal of Pediatrics. The study's authors were Elena Lagon, Moon and Colvin.

Photo: famveldman

University of Virginia Health System. "Infant death study reveals dangerous sleep practices among babysitters, relatives, others: Troubling findings highlight need for parents to educate childcare providers on SIDS." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 April 2018.