More than Half of US Babies Sleep Unsafely, Says New Study

Hey everyone,

As ya’ll know, I am a huge safe sleep advocate and have worked with HALO, the makers of the Sleepsack, several times, trying to spread the word about safe sleep.

Well, my friends at HALO shared a new, shocking government study with me that says more than half of U.S. parents claim their babies sleep with pillows, blankets and other loose bedding despite recommendations against their use from doctors and health officials.  The American Academy of Pediatrics warns against using soft bedding of any kind in a baby’s crib and recommends that parents follow safe sleep practices, which I’ve shared before and will gladly share again (below).

Now, I’m not trying to chastise anyone or criticize any parenting techniques- heck, our bedding set included bumpers and pillows, and it took everything in me to take them off and have a plain, “boring” crib when we brought Anissa home from the hospital. In case you aren’t sure if you’re baby’s crib meets the AAP standards for safe sleep practices, here are a few example pictures of what you should and shouldn’t have in the crib:

In the study, shared by The Huffington Post,  Carrie Shapiro-Mendoza, the study’s lead author and senior scientist in the CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health in Atlanta, said,“It can be tricky for parents because they might see magazine and other images where they see babies with blanket and pillows. This may reinforce the idea that these activities are safe and that’s the norm.”

“Parents are really well intentioned,” she said. “They want to provide warmth and comfort to the baby, but all the baby really needs is infant sleep clothing.”

One of these types of approved sleep clothing is a HALO SleepSack. As you probably have gathered from my ramblings about the company, HALO is a company dedicated to creating safe sleep environments for babies via safe sleepwear (SleepSacks and Swaddles that I have reviewed here) and now the Bassinest Swivel Sleeper product, which I shared with you here. HALO’s founder lost his own child to SIDS and has made it his mission to raise awareness about safe sleep for babies. HALO provides Swaddles free of charge to more than 1,300 hospitals nationwide and is constantly looking for ways to educate parents, caregivers and childbirth educators in sleep safety.

I know I’ve shared these before, but you can never see them too much! Here are some Safe Sleep Tips from HALO:

ALWAYS

• Place baby to sleep on his or her back at naptime and at night time.
• Use a crib that meets current safety standards with a firm mattress that fits snugly and is covered with only a tight-fitting crib sheet.
• Remove all soft bedding and toys from your baby’s sleep area (this includes loose blankets, bumpers, pillows and positioners). The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests using a wearable blanket instead of loose blankets to keep your baby warm.
• Offer a pacifier when putting baby to sleep. If breastfeeding, introduce pacifier after one month or after breastfeeding has been established.
• Breastfeed, if possible, but when finished, put your baby back to sleep in his or her separate safe sleep area alongside your bed.
• Room share, but don’t bed share. Bed sharing can put a child at risk of suffocation.

NEVER

• Never put your baby to sleep on any soft surface (adult beds, sofas, chairs, water beds, quilts, sheep skins etc.)
• Never dress your baby too warmly for sleep; keep room temperature 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Never allow anyone to smoke around your baby or take your baby into a room or car where someone has recently smoked.

If you are interested in reading the whole government study as shared on the Huffington Post, you can find it here.

And to celebrate Safe Sleep, HALO is giving away 1 SleepSack to a lucky winner in the US or Canada! All you have to do is enter via the RaffleCopter below. The winner will be chosen on December 29, 2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

As always, follow HALO on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to stay up-to-date on news like this and more!

Disclaimer: The sponsored post and giveaway was made possible by HALO Sleepsacks. I received product in exchange for the sponsored post, however all opinions are 100% mine.