More than half the babies in the United States are sleeping in or on unsafe bedding, according to a U.S. government study. They are being put to bed with soft blankets, pillows, or a comforter, all of which can increase the risk of death from suffocation.
Doctors and health officials have recommended against covering the baby with a blanket or using soft bedding or pillows in the crib for several years. Soft or loose bedding has been associated with a greater risk of suffocation or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that baby sleep on their backs in a crib with a firm mattress. The crib should not contain pillows, blankets, or bumpers. The National Institutes of Health created a "Safe to Sleep" program that has very similar recommendations.
The recommendations, which were made starting in the mid-1990s, have had an effect in reducing the number of babies put to sleep unsafely. The new study looked at data collected between 1993 and 2010 as part of the National Infant Sleep Position study. The study found that 86% of parents said they put their babies to sleep with loose bedding between 2993 and 1995. This fell to 55% between 2008 and 2010.
Teenaged mothers are more likely to put their babies to sleep in cribs with loose bedding.
Instead of using blankets or comforters in the crib, parents should dress the baby in infant sleep clothing. These outfits will keep the baby warm but cannot entrap the child. Babies should never be allowed to sleep on an adult bed or sofa and should be put to sleep on their backs. The only thing on the crib mattress should be a fitted sheet.
The safe sleep recommendations have led to a decline in cases of SIDS, but between 2000 and 2010 there has been an increase in cases of sleep-related suffocation from 7 cases per 100,000 newborns to 16 per 100,000.
The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.
