Safe sleeping practices for babies

 in Newborns  tagged Safe sleeping guidelines / safe sleeping practices for babies / sudden unexpected death in infants / SUDI / where should my baby sleep by

“Where should my baby sleep?” Friendly text #2
My friend who was pregnant with her first child texted me asking whether she really needed to set up her baby’s cot in her room or would it be fine to set it up in the nursery room next door. I thought it was an unusual text and guessed the underlying reason why she asked was to have a discussion on the evidence-based safe sleeping practices for babies to prevent Sudden Unexpected Deaths in Infancy (SUDI).

Together we looked at the online education resources provided by Red Nose, one of the leading organisations in Australia who are dedicated to reducing the number of children who die suddenly and unexpectedly during pregnancy, infancy and in childhood.

Red Nose, who in 2018 celebrated their 30th anniversary of the Red Nose Day campaign, reported that since the risk reduction campaign began, there had been an outstanding 85% reduction in the rate of SUDI death from 1989 to 2016*. These wonderfully positive statistics are the result of people understanding and practicing the Red Nose Safe Sleeping Guidelines:

    1. 1. Sleep baby on their back from birth, not on the tummy or side.
    2. 2. Sleep baby with head and face uncovered.
    3. 3. Keep baby smoke free, before birth and after.
    4. 4. Provide a safe sleeping environment night and day.
    5. 5. Sleep baby in their own safe sleeping place in the same room as an adult caregiver for the first six to 12 months.
      6. Breastfeed baby.

In addition to the above safe sleeping practices for babies I also recommend to my patients:

    1. 1. Use a cot that meets current Australian safety standards.
      They should have a clear label – AS/NZS 2172:2003 for cots and AS/NZS 2195:1999 for portable cots.
    2. 2. Use a firm and well-fitting mattress in their cot.
    3. 3. Avoid cot bumpers, soft toys, pillows and doonas which could suffocate baby if they roll in to them or are covered by them.
    4. 4. Avoid baby sleeping on couches or makeshift bedding.
      5. Ensure baby is dressed in clothing that is warm, but not hot. Ensure baby does not wear anything on its head when sleeping indoors.

I understand that every family is different and some of the recommendations above might be easier to apply to one family than another. Most parents usually set up a baby’s cot according to what works for their living arrangement. Some families set up a nursery, some families don’t. There are parents who smoke, and parents who don’t. There are babies who are breastfed and then there are babies who are not breastfed. With this in mind, I recommend all parents to have a read of the Red Nose Safe Sleeping Guide Brochure which contains a more detailed strategy on minimising risk of SUDI specific to your situation.

For the tech savvy parents, Red Nose also has a free educational mobile app which can be downloaded in five different languages.

Safe sleeping,
Dr Fifi Djatmiko

If you feel you require paediatric advice for your child please contact us.

For more qualified, easy-to-understand specialist paediatric information visit Paedicare’s blog.

* Red Nose Fast Fact 2018 [Internet]. [cited 2018 Sep 12]. Available from: https://rednose.com.au/downloads/Red_Nose_Fast_Facts_2018_WEB.pdf