Careless sleep patterns can be risky for an infant suggest reports. The B.C. Coroner’s Service revealed that about 88% of the 33 infant deaths in 2005 were linked to inappropriate sleeping factors. In addition, Kellie Kilpatrick, director of the Child Death Review Unit, expressed that a majority of 29 cases were linked to multiple unsafe sleeping patterns.
Sleep Risk Factors
Some unsafe sleep risk factors that can cost the life of an infant are listed here below:
- Unsafe sleep environments: Sharing the bed with infants, covering babies with heavy blankets, toys littered over the bed
- Unsafe sleeping surfaces: Beds, couches
- Leaving the infant in an unsafe sleeping position like on the stomach or one side
There are relatively lower cases of infant deaths that have happen on its own when the baby is asleep. There are certainly no explanations for such a case but when parents and caregivers can prevent risks they should do so promptly. For example, bed-sharing is considered to be the most common sleep risk factor for an infant.
Canadian Pediatric Society Guidelines
Some useful guidelines recommended by the Canadian Pediatric Society are listed here below:
- The society emphasizes that for the first one year an infant should be left alone to sleep in a cradle
- Parents or caregivers can share the room with an infant but certainly not the bed so as to disturb the sleeping baby as little as possible
- Bed-sharing is not recommended for the first one year and below for the baby because the mother can be overweight, sedated and tired to realize that she must be crushing her baby
- Babies should not be forced to sleep on couches, water beds, air mattresses or makeshift beds
- The infant should be wrapped in suitable and comfortable clothing and fabric
- The sleep environment of the infant should also be cozy and comfortable with clean and soft textured bed sheets, pillows and bumper padding on the sides
- Car seats, prams and other baby carriers should not be made a place for infants to sleep in. An enclosed surrounding can obstruct airflow and suffocate the baby.
- The infant should not be exposed to cigarette smoke before or after birth
Careless sleeping factors can therefore contribute a great deal in choking an infant to death. All caregivers and parents should therefore provide safe sleeping environments, surfaces and position for the baby to sleep to breathe freely.
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