Why moms don't put babies on backs to sleep
Caregivers’ fear of infant choking, discomfort influence infant sleep position
Research repeatedly has shown that placing babies younger than 1 year of age on their backs to sleep reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as crib death.
Since 1994, the SIDS rate has declined by more than half. That’s the year that the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) launched the “Back to Sleep” campaign, which urges parents to place babies on their backs to sleep.
Still, some mothers and other caregivers do not put the baby to sleep on his or her back. A new study found three reasons why:
- Whether caregivers received a doctor’s recommendation to place infants only on their backs to sleep.
- Fear that an infant sleeping on the back might choke.
- Concerns for infant comfort while sleeping on the back.
The researchers concluded that reducing SIDS deaths depends on making sure doctors provide information to families about back placement, and addressing concerns about choking and sleep comfort.
The study was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and authored in part by Dr. George Lister, pediatrician in chief at Children’s Medical Center. Dr. Lister holds the Robert L. Moore Chair in Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where he is a professor of Pediatrics. The study was published in the December issue of Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine and based on the results of an annual national telephone survey.
The survey revealed that families who placed their infant on his or her back were more likely to report that they based their decision on a doctor’s recommendation of back placement as the only sleeping position.
The families who received this recommendation were unlikely to report concerns about their baby choking while sleeping. They were also unlikely to say they were concerned about their baby’s comfort while sleeping.
The researchers also found that African-American infants are placed on their backs to sleep less often than Caucasian or Hispanic babies. Mother’s attitudes about issues such as physician recommendations, choking and baby’s comfort contributed to much of the differences in back placement between African-Americans and other ethnic groups.
A greater proportion of African-American babies die from SIDS each year than Caucasian or Hispanic infants.
SIDS prevention tips
- Always place infants on their backs to sleep.
- Place your baby to sleep on a firm surface, such as an approved crib mattress. (For information on crib safety guidelines, contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission at 1-800-638-2772 or www.cpsc.gov.)
- Keep soft objects, toys and loose bedding away of baby’s sleep area.
- Avoid letting baby overheat while sleeping.
- Consider using a clean, dry pacifier when putting baby to sleep.
