Parents in the state are being urged not to sleep in the same bed as their infants.  The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is issuing guidelines to avoid accidental deaths due to unsafe sleeping practices.

Karen Schenk, a public health consultant nurse with the agency, says we have seen a growing trend of infant deaths…

SafeSleep1          :25       “on a couch”

Schenk says parents and older siblings should not sleep in the same bed as an infant…

SafeSleep2          :16      “in their own crib”

Schenk explains why “bed-sharing” is so dangerous…

SafeSleep3          :15      “asphyxiated”

Schenk says the most tragic part is that parents have good intentions when they put the infant in their bed.  They believe it helps them bond better with the baby and is more convenient for breastfeeding mothers…

SafeSleep4          :08      “continuing to do it”

Schenk adds that beds in the United States might be more cushiony than what people from other countries used and makes “bed-sharing” an unsafe practice here.

She says there are options available for nursing mothers and those who just want the baby a bit closer to them when they sleep…

SafeSleep5          :20      “rolled over on”

Besides discouraging “bed-sharing,” Schenk says the health department has some general guidelines to help keep sleeping babies safe…

SafeSleep6          :22      “out of the crib”

In addition, babies should wear a sleeper or sleep sack to bed so they don’t need a blanket.  If a blanket is used, make sure it is tucked in at the foot of the mattress and is pulled up only to the baby’s chest.  Don’t let babies get too warm while sleeping.

Schenk says exposure to tobacco smoke, either from the mother smoking while pregnant or from secondhand smoke after the baby is born, can also increase an infant’s chances of dying from SIDS… Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

More information is available on the health department’s Web site (www.dhss.mo.gov/SafeSleep/).