Safe Sleep Sabbath

Safe Sleep Sabbath, November 21, is a joint effort by the Black churches of Dane County to encourage safe infant sleep practices. By practicing the ABC’s of safe infant sleep, we can save our babies from preventable, sleep-related deaths.

The ABC’s of safe infant sleep are:

• A – ALONE: Baby should sleep ALONE in a bed. They should sleep in the same room as the parent, but NOT in the same bed. Room-sharing, but not bed-sharing.
• B – BACK: Infants should always be placed to sleep on their BACKS, unless otherwise instructed by a doctor.
• C – CRIB: Crib railings should be no more than 2 ⅜” apart. The mattress should be firm and covered with a tight-fitting sheet. Nothing else should be in baby’s sleep area—no blankets, bumper pads, stuffed animals, or toys.

 
Things to think about:

• The risk for sleep-related death is highest when an infant is vulnerable, such as being pre-term or low birth weight, in a critical period of development, especially from 2-4 months old, and experiencing external challenges, including exposure to second-hand smoke and sleeping in an unsafe sleep environment
• We are continuing to see higher rates of premature birth and low birth weight among Black infants. Combined with other factors, this creates a higher risk for SID among Black infants.
• The good news is that we can lower the risk for SID by practicing safe sleep habits.
• Babies are at lowest risk for SID (Sudden Infant Death) when they sleep on their backs, on a firm sleep surface alone but in the same room as their caregiver, in a smoke-free environment, and when they are breastfed.