Sadly, across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, there continues to be infant deaths attributed to parents co-sleeping with their babies and other causal factors (i.e. babies sleeping on the sofa, parental alcohol behaviours). All of these infant deaths could probably have been prevented through ‘Safer Sleeping’.
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Safeguarding Children Partnership Board are actively campaigning to reach practitioners and parents about the potential risks of sleeping with babies. To increase awareness we are promoting the use of the lullaby trust leaflet on ‘safer sleeping’ to parents and professionals, available to download below.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden and unexplained death of a baby where no cause is found. While SIDS is rare, it can still happen and there are steps parents can take to help reduce the chance of this tragedy occurring.
QUICK TIPS FOR SAFER SLEEP
Although it is not yet known how to completely prevent Sudden Infant Deaths (sometimes called Cot Death), it is possible to significantly lower the chances of it happening by following this advice. You should try to follow the advice for all sleep periods where possible, not just at night.
Things you can do
- Always place your baby on their back to sleep;
- Keep your baby smoke free during pregnancy and after birth;
- Place your baby to sleep in a separate cot or Moses basket in the same room as you for the first 6 months;
- Breastfeed your baby, if you can;
- Use a firm, flat, waterproof mattress in good condition.
Things to avoid
- Never sleep on a sofa or in an armchair with your baby;
- Don’t sleep in the same bed as your baby if you smoke, drink or take drugs or are extremely tired, if your baby was born prematurely or was of low birth-weight;
- Avoid letting your baby get too hot;
- Don’t cover your baby’s face or head while sleeping or use loose bedding.
For further advice visit: The Lullaby Trust website
Lullaby Trust Safer Sleep Guides and Factsheets
