Sharing a bed with parents”under no circumstances is it safe for babies to sleep”, pointed out the US pediatricians.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), by updating its guidelines for safe sleep for the you drink in 2022 brought bad news for those who practice the co-sleepingwhether they are looking for attachment parenting, to promote breastfeeding or simply to sleep several hours in a row.
The medical body, in the first update of its safe sleep guidelines for babies since 2016, warned about the risks that this implies and stressed that it can even mean a risk of death for the child.
That is one of the several recommendations that the AAP gave to pediatricians to help stop the wave of infant deaths due to sleep: in the United States, about 3,500 babies from sleep-related causes, many of whom are in socially disadvantaged communities.
The AAP added, in a statement, that “the rate of sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) among black and American Indian/Alaska Native infants was more than double and nearly triple, respectively, than that of white babies (85 per 100,000 live births) in 2010-2013″.
“We know that many parents choose to share a bed with a child, for example, perhaps to help with breastfeeding or because of cultural preference or a belief that it is safe,” said Rebecca Carlin, MD, who co-authored the guidelines. They serve on the report of the AAP Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and are a member of the AAP Committee on the Fetus and Newborn.
“The evidence is clear that (co-sleeping) significantly increases the risk of injury or death to the baby,” Carlin said in a statement. For that reason, AAP cannot support co-sleeping under any circumstances.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Rachel Moon, lead author of the guidelines and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia, said: “We’ve made great strides in learning what keeps babies safe during sleep, but there’s still a lot of work to do.” to do”.
While the AAP advises against sharing a bed with children, its latest recommendations say that babies should sleep in the same room with their parents for at least six months, but on a separate sleeping surface with a firm, flat surface.
“A great way to test if a surface is too soft is to press your hand down and then lift it up. If your hand leaves an indentation, it’s too soft,” advised Alison Jacobson, executive director of First Candle, a US nonprofit organization committed to eliminating sleep-related infant deaths through education. and promotion.
Under new regulations from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the only products recommended for infant sleep include cribs, bassinets, soft seats, and co-sleeping cribs, as cribs attached to a baby’s bed are known. parents but allow babies to sleep alone.
“Parents should not use sleeping products that are not marketed specifically for sleep,” the AAP said, referring to strollers or car seats, where they can only sleep while in the vehicle. For American specialists, “resting with a baby in a sofa, armchair or cushion and falling asleep increases the risk of infant death by 67%.” And if the baby is premature, was born with a low birth weight or is less than four months old, the risk of death while sleeping in a bed, sofa or other place that is not recommended for their age increases five to 10 times, they pointed out from the AAP.
The new regulations will ban all products marketed for infant sleep that have more than a 10% slope. Those include inclined beds and sleep positioners, which are also called baby nests, box springs, pods, loungers, rockers, and nappers, among others.
Many of these products on the market have an inclination of up to 30%, which can be dangerous because the babies’ heads fall forward during sleep and they can suffocate, warned the APP. This is because that chin-to-chest position can restrict their airway when they still don’t control their little head.
Car seats, strollers, swings, and baby carriers can also block a baby’s airway. Hence, the AAP recommends that “when the baby falls asleep on them, which is unavoidable, parents should move the child to lie on their back on a firm, flat surface.”
Clarified the issues related to the place, the AAP experts stressed that “parents should always put babies at sleep alone, on their backs, on a firm, flat mattress covered with a fitted sheet.” “Avoid all extras in the crib, including soft toys, blankets, pillows, soft bedding, sleep positioners, or crib bumpers, as babies can get caught in such items and suffocate,” the association’s pediatricians said. .
They added: “Crib bumpers are linked to more than 100 infant deaths over the past 30 years.” It is that when parents see their little one crying and having trouble getting comfortable in the crib, they seek to condition it so that they feel more “contained”. “But babies don’t need any of those padded products to be warm and comfortable,” the specialists insisted.
In fact, overdressing or blanketing a baby, especially in a warm room, may be associated with an increased risk of SIDS. “Beanies and any other head coverings should be removed before putting your baby to bed,” they agreed, adding that “babies just need one more layer of clothing than an adult would normally wear.”
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