Department Raises Awareness About Importance of Safe Sleep Practices for Infants
ALBANY, N.Y. (October 4, 2024) – The New York State Department of Health recognizes Safe Sleep and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month, observed in October, by educating families and caregivers about SIDS and the importance of safe sleep practices for infants.
"No parent should deal with the pain and devastation of losing their child,” State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. "Infant death due to unsafe sleep practices is preventable. All families and caregivers should follow the ABCs of infant safe sleep by ensuring their infant is put to sleep ALONE on their BACK, in a CRIB and a SMOKE-FREE environment for every sleep.”
“Unsafe sleep deaths are a sad reality that can be avoided by providing babies with safe and uncompromised sleep,” State Office of Children and Family Services Commissioner Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden said. “Parents benefit emotionally and physically when there is confidence that their child is secure in a sleep setting. Sadly, unsafe sleep is a factor in more than 120 deaths that come to the attention of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services every year, underscoring the need for education and outreach to families year-round. We thank our colleagues at the State Health Department for their partnership and mutual commitment to minimizing preventable deaths across New York State.”
SIDS is the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation. Unsafe sleep and SIDS are the leading cause of death in infants between one-month and one-year of age, with most deaths occurring when an infant is between two and four months old.
Each year in New York State, more than 120 infants die of sleep-related infant deaths, including SIDS, ill-defined deaths and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed.
Safe sleep practices and breastfeeding/chestfeeding/human milk feeding have decreased SIDS risk.
The Department encourages parents and caregivers to follow infant safe sleep practices for every sleep, including:
Placing an infant to sleep ALONE, not with adults, other children, or pets. No items should be in the baby's crib. Remove pillows, bumper pads, blankets and toys.
Putting an infant on his or her BACK to sleep.
Using a safety-approved CRIB. Infants should never be placed to sleep in an adult bed, on a couch, chair, car seat, or nursing pillow.
Keeping an infant’s environment SMOKE-FREE.
Sharing a room, not a bed with an infant allows parents or caregivers to keep a close watch over the infant while preventing accidents that may occur when an infant is sleeping in an adult bed.
More information about SIDS and infant safe sleep practices can be found here.
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