The Alarming Numbers of Infant Deaths due to Unsafe Sleep

Everyday in the United States 12 babies die from being placed in an unsafe sleep environment. That equals to 4, 380 babies that die every year from unsafe sleep. 4,380 parents wake up to find their baby unresponsive, have to preform CPR, have a coroner come and investigate their home and figure out how and why the baby died. That is 4,380 coffins or cremations and 4, 380 parents who will live with a life of guilt, sorrow, what-if's, cherished memories, and empty dreams. 4,380 babies that will never grow up and it could have been prevented.


*Note: This does not include a SIDS death, but we will get to that a little later*


How can so many babies die without others being aware of this silent killer? Did you know the number was so high? Neither did I and I work to educate parents on creating a safe sleep environment for infants.  How can so many infants die everyday and yet we aren't doing all we can to educate parents and caregivers to reduce and eliminate these tragic numbers?


The recent news articles are alarming:

"Sleep mishaps leading cause of infant deaths"

~"The Stark County Child Fatality Review Board reviewed all deaths of Stark County children up to 17 years old since 2000.

Between 2000 and 2009, there were 50 sleep-related deaths. And 38 were the result of co-bedding with other people, according to Stark County Health Commissioner William Franks."

"Children Die as Dangers are Ignored"

~"In the last several years, dozens of Missouri families have dealt with unfathomable losses in the very places they were assured their babies' safety would come first: paid child care.

From 2007 through 2010, at least 45 children - most of them infants - died in child care for reasons other than existing illnesses."

"Many babies die from suffocation, not SIDS, study shows"

~"Coroners who carefully follow federal guidelines while probing the 4,000 unexpected infant deaths nationally each year are discovering a hard truth. Most of these babies are suffocating in completely avoidable accidents, a nine-month investigation by Scripps Howard News Service has found."

We are realizing that what we once thought was SIDS ( Sudden Unexplained Infant death) is actually SUID (Sudden Unexpected Infant Death). Many people these are one in the same but they aren't. A SIDS death is when an apparently healthy infant dies and after a complete death scene investigation and autopsy no cause of death can be found. A SUID death is usually when a baby died from a preventable or explained death like an unsafe sleep environment. 

When a baby dies depending on the state and county the death occurred in, usually a coroner or death scene investigation comes to the home and takes pictures of the death scene, reviews the death scene to try to find clues to what could have caused a baby to die suddenly and unexpectedly. Some times the answers are clear and other times there is nothing to indicate a reason a baby died. It is imperative that a complete and through death scene investigation is performed. Unfortunetly, often times a death scene is not being investigated properly. Depending who completes an infants death scene and who performs the autopsy depends on what the cause of death is determined to be on an autopsy and/or death certificate. You have some professionals who do not believe in SIDS and refuses to write it on an autopsy or death certificate even if nothing points to anything else. Now, let's talk about what a SIDS death is. A baby who dies of SIDS is placed in a safe sleep environment and nothing is in the way or in their sleep space that could interfere with their breathing. What does this mean exactly? Let's discuss what a safe sleep environment looks like and what isn't considered a safe sleep environment for an infant.


Safe Sleep Environment:


A baby should be sleeping in a new and safe crib that has not been recalled. Or a pack n play. 


*Bassinettes are not recommended because they are often padded and can restrict airflow. where a crib or pack n play either has mesh sides or crib slats they accommodate for good airflow to an infant.*


Parents should room share with their infant in their bedroom but NEVER share a bed with your baby or any other sleep surface. Babies who bed share are more likely to die than a baby who is placed to sleep in a crib.


Never place an infant to sleep on their stomach! Every sleep counts which means even for naps a baby should be placed on their back. 


Use a pacifier to help reduce the risk of SIDS and there is a study that says a fan can help circulate the air.


Although decorating a baby's crib looks nice it is not needed and can be deadly to an infant. Decorate their nursery but not their sleep safe. This means nothing in the crib except for a fitted sheet. No blankets, bumper pads, sleep positioners, toys/stuffed animals, as all of these have been linked to suffocation.


Use a Halo Sleep sack to keep the baby warm, or dress baby warmly in the colder months but prevent overheating. Dress your baby as you would dress yourself.

Unsafe Sleep Environment:

For more information on how to create a beautiful nursery without decorating the crib please visit:A face book page dedicated on keeping babies sleeping safely from the CJ Foundation of SIDS.


Sleep in safety,  grow in style

"Saving babies: Exposing sudden infant death in America"

This is a study from Scripps on infant deaths dating as far back as 1992. We are finding that many of the deaths that were once classified as SIDS an unpreventable and mysterious death, face book group PAUSE (Parents Against Unsafe Sleep Environments) was created to give parents and caregivers information they otherwise would not receive.


"In fact, we are getting further away from solving the mystery of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome because of sloppy procedures, manipulation of statistics, misguided efforts to protect the feelings of grieving parents, and deliberate attempts to make SIDS go away, at least on paper.

The Scripps review of 40,000 infant deaths going back to 1992 revealed that the quality of infant death investigations, the level of training for coroners, and the amount of oversight and review vary enormously across the country. In many cases, professional bias -- both for and against a diagnosis of SIDS -- trumps medical evidence.

As a result, the odds that an infant's death will be correctly diagnosed are often determined by geography rather than science. In other words, the same death might be called SIDS in one county and called something else just down the road."

"There's no rhyme or reason to what medical examiners are diagnosing as SIDS, suffocation, strangulation or undetermined," said Theresa Covington, director of the National Center for Child Death Review Policy and Practice at the University of Michigan. "The variability is across the country and within the states."

"If we had a standard approach to investigating and classifying these deaths, our approach to prevention and research could be a lot clearer," said Dr. James Kemp, a leading SIDS researcher at St. Louis University. "The whole reason for keeping count is to figure out how to avoid the next infant death."

Scripps conducted an extensive study into how infant deaths are investigated in the United States using records provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The records detail the sudden deaths of 40,239 infants, half of whom died in the 1990s and the rest in a five-year period from 2000 to 2004.

The records of the most recent infant deaths, from 2000 to 2004, can be examined in the first searchable database of its kind at www.scrippsnews.com/sids/database.

The review found enormous variation in how the deaths of infants are investigated and classified. The SIDS rate, according to the data, is 12 times higher in Mississippi than in New York. Most experts agree that the big differences are caused by how the deaths are classified, not by how the babies died.

Variations are sometimes even greater from county to county within a state because coroners take widely different approaches to how they determine the cause of infant deaths in their areas.

Federal records show a dramatic decline in reported cases of SIDS, dropping from 4,895 cases in 1992 to only 2,247 in 2004, the most recent year for which complete data is available.

The records examined by Scripps showed that cases of SIDS virtually disappeared in some states and cities over the last several years, but closer examination of the data makes it evident that thousands of those lives have not been "saved," but rather lost under another name.

Coroners and medical examiners said SIDS was responsible for nearly 80 percent of all sudden infant deaths 15 years ago and only 55 percent in 2004. What increased during this time were diagnoses that CDC statisticians labeled as "threats to breathing" and "other ill-defined causes of mortality."

Some researchers think that this "code shifting" of infant death causes has substantially overstated the success of public health efforts against SIDS. The diagnosis of SIDS has been replaced on death certificates by new and vague terms like "undetermined cause," "sudden and unexplained death" and "other ill-defined and unknown causes of mortality."

The result is that, while deaths attributed to SIDS are down, the overall number of sudden infant deaths has remained steady, and even ticked up in some years, since 2000.

Among the other findings of the Scripps investigation:

-- In some states and counties, investigators are told not to issue a SIDS diagnosis if any other cause is suspected, causing the rate at which the syndrome is reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to plummet to just a fraction of the national average. Several large metro areas reported no SIDS cases during the five-year period even though there were dozens of sudden infant deaths.

-- Other jurisdictions offer extra pay to coroners who fill out complex medical forms detailing the circumstances of sudden unexplained infant deaths. Some have reported as much as a 55 percent increase in SIDS deaths since the incentives began.

-- The variance in diagnoses can be equally great within the same state, so that one county is diagnosing SIDS at three or even four times the rate of its neighboring counties.

-- States with local and state boards assigned to review the evidence in mysterious infant deaths are three times more likely to identify children who have died from suffocation or smothering than do states with little or no oversight in child deaths.

-- The 28 states that have statewide medical examiners are more likely to diagnose SIDS deaths than the 22 states without a top medical examiner.

-- States that mostly rely upon appointed, well-trained medical examiners to investigate infant deaths issue 10 percent more SIDS diagnoses than states that elect often less-well-trained coroners, many of whom are not required to have college degrees.

-- Coroners, who generally are not required to be doctors or even have any medical background, were 37 percent more likely than medical examiners to issue a diagnosis of "undetermined causes" on the death certificates of infants.

Also I want to leave you with something that Deborah Robinson said. She is a death scene investigator in Seattle, Washington.

"I've been reading some of the posts regarding SIDS, Suffocation, Overlay and what they can and cant tell from the autopsy. Rarely can the distinction be made purely by the autopsy. It is critical that the coroner or medical examiner take into consideration the entire death scene when making their certification. Some mechanical suffocation such as wedging can be identified but for the most part, the autopsy is benign, which is why so many question regarding how your baby was placed and how your baby was found are asked. I'm not sure everyone also understands the difference between a Medical Examiner and Coroner. ME is a forensic pathologist who is board certified. A coroner is an elected official. In our state which is similar to most, the only requirement to be a coroner is to be over the age of 18, a resident of the county you are running in and pay your filing fee. They typically will contract with someone to perform an autopsy if warranted."




Every person needs to take a stand and educate yourselves on how to create a safe sleep environment, and pass on this information to anyone who has or cares for infants. Imagine if everyone was not only educated and practiced these guidelines how the number of infant deaths would dramatically decrease. I would also like to note that SIDS is a real problem and diagnose but too often babies are dying from a preventable death and the parents are not being told. This isn't SIDS vs. SUID it is about reducing the numbers of all infant deaths regardless of the cause. if you have any questions please feel free to comment or contact me directly at pausesafesleep@gmail.com

Co-Sleeping Unsafely...It Happens More Than You Think....

My son Jaleel died over 5 years ago at 26 days old when a pillow suffocated him in his sleep while I slept right next to him and did not know he was in danger. My son was fussing when I came into bed that June 12, 2006 and I made a huge mistake that cost him his life I placed him on a pillow and he fell right back to sleep and I rolled over and went to bed. I woke up the next morning to a pillow on top of his little eight pound body and the life inside of him was gone! We would not get a second chance he was dead and nothing any one could do would bring him back. My son died from accidental asphyxiation from bed sharing.

Four years after his death I started a Face book page called, "Parents Against Co-Sleeping" to educate parents on the dangers of sharing a bed with you baby. I have been educating families on safe sleep for infants for the last eighteen months, and I have heard it all. I have been told how I NEED to educate on how to bed share safely. First of all, my son died to bed sharing and although I made a mistake that ended his life this is true I cannot dispute that but I made the same mistake many parents make on a nightly basis. The only difference is my son died while other babies live. I could not tell a parent there is a safe way to bed share because one I don't believe there is and two the more research I do the more I realize how many babies die from sharing a bed with their parent(s), and how many are unaware of these babies dying every year in their parent's bed!

Did you know that a whopping 80% of babies that die of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) are found in unsafe sleep environments {Pediatrics. 2003 Oct;112(4):883-9.Where should infants sleep? A comparison of risk for suffocation of infants sleeping in cribs, adult beds, and other sleeping locations. Scheers NJ, Rutherford GW, Kemp JS.} That means that only 20% of SIDS deaths is when every safe sleep practice is followed. Imagine how many babies wouldn't die if parents were educated on safe sleep and followed the guidelines to safe sleep. Now this is not to blame a parent if their baby dies from SIDS. I tell parents if you did not know how to create a safe sleep environment for your baby how could you have known? But we are finding that many babies are dying because they do not have a safe sleep environment. It could have been bed sharing, bumper pads, stuffed animals in sleeping area, blankets, soft or fluffy bedding, smoking, are external factors we can control and is why PAUSE (Parents Against Unsafe Sleep Environments) to educate parents on safe sleep that they may be unaware of and to reduce the infant mortality rate in this country as well as others.

Now I do know the so called benefits of bed sharing and I also know the so called "safe bed sharing guidelines" and they are as followed:

Safe Bed Sharing Guidelines:

DOS:

• Take precautions to prevent baby from rolling out of bed, even though it is unlikely when baby is sleeping next to mother. Like heat-seeking missiles, babies automatically gravitate toward a warm body. Yet, to be safe, place baby between mother and a guardrail or push the mattress flush against the wall and position baby between mother and the wall. Guardrails enclosed with plastic mesh are safer than those with slats, which can entrap baby's limbs or head. Be sure the guardrail is flush against the mattress so there is no crevice that baby could sink into.
• Place baby adjacent to mother, rather than between mother and father. Mothers we have interviewed on the subject of sharing sleep feel they are so physically and mentally aware of their baby's presence even while sleeping, that it's extremely unlikely they would roll over onto their baby. Some fathers, on the other hand, may not enjoy the same sensitivity of baby's presence while asleep; so it is possible they might roll over on or throw out an arm onto baby. After a few months of sleep-sharing, most dads seem to develop a keen awareness of their baby's presence.
• Place baby to sleep on his back.
• Use a large bed, preferably a queen-size or king-size. A king-size bed may wind up being your most useful piece of "baby furniture." If you only have a cozy double bed, use the money that you would ordinarily spend on a fancy crib and other less necessary baby furniture and treat yourselves to a safe and comfortable king-size bed.
• Some parents and babies sleep better if baby is still in touching and hearing distance, but not in the same bed. For them, a bedside co-sleeper is a safe option.

DON'TS:

• Do not sleep with your baby if: 1. You are under the influence of any drug (such as alcohol or tranquilizing medications) that diminishes your sensitivity to your baby's presence. If you are drunk or drugged, these chemicals lessen your arousability from sleep.
  2. You are extremely obese. Obesity itself may cause sleep apnea in the mother, in addition to the smothering danger.
  3. You are exhausted from sleep deprivation. This lessens your awareness of your baby and your arousability from sleep.
  4. You are breastfeeding a baby on a cushiony surface, such as a waterbed or couch. An exhausted mother could fall asleep breastfeeding and roll over on the baby.
  5. You are the child's baby-sitter. A baby-sitter's awareness and arousability is unlikely to be as acute as a mother's.
• Don't allow older siblings to sleep with a baby under nine months. Sleeping children do not have the same awareness of tiny babies as do parents, and too small or too crowded a bed space is an unsafe sleeping arrangement for a tiny baby.
• Don't fall asleep with baby on a couch. Baby may get wedged between the back of the couch and the larger person's body, or baby's head may become buried in cushion crevices or soft cushions.
• Do not sleep with baby on a free-floating, wavy water bed or similar "sinky" surface in which baby could suffocate.


• Don't overheat or over bundle baby. Be particularly aware of overbundling if baby is sleeping with a parent. Other warm bodies are an added heat source.


• Don't wear lingerie with string ties longer than eight inches. Ditto for dangling jewelry. Baby may get caught in these entrapment's.


• Avoid pungent hair sprays, deodorants, and perfumes. Not only will these camouflage the natural maternal smells that baby is used to and attracted to, but foreign odors may irritate and clog baby's tiny nasal passages. Reserve these enticements for sleeping alone with your spouse.

Click here for the complete article Now let's examine some bed sharing photos courtesy of Google and tell you why these pictures are dangerous to infants.

This picture breaks two of the safe bed sharing rules. 1. NEVER bed share with an infant on a couch or other soft sleep surfaces, and 2. Father's should not bed share with babies as they are not as in tune as mother's are to their babies. Babies who bed share on a couch are at a greater risk of accidental suffocation than infants who sleep in an adult bed.

Now for this picture the baby should NOT be laying on a pillow, should not be using a blanket and so close to their face, and animals should not be in the same bed as infants.

There are a number of unsafe bed sharing rules being broken in this picture as well. 1. The baby should not be in between the parents, 2. There should be no blankets covering the baby and not a couple layers like this picture shows as it can present a risk for SIDS by over heating the baby. This picture could also cause a layover from either parent, the baby should be next to the mother, also I notice above the baby's head are more blankets that if the baby scooted up or rolled over could also pose a suffocation risk.

This baby is laying on a soft surface with blankets underneath him which is dangerous and regardless of where a baby sleeps they should ALWAYS be placed on their back as it reduces the risk of SIDS.

Again the baby is on a pillow and isn't in the mother's arm like safe bed sharing advocates say and also blankets that could easily come over the baby's face and cause suffocation.

Siblings should not bed share with an infant and should NOT be right next to an infant. Toddlers often sleep erratically and their movements are unpredictable.

This picture is scary!!! The baby is below too very soft pillows and is underneath a soft sleep surface and looks like he or she is sleeping alone and could be close to the edge of the bed.

                            How many times can it be said that Dads and babies should not co-sleep.

You should  not co-sleep with a baby sleeping on your chest one because they are on their tummy and two because if the mother rolled over should could roll over right on top of her baby.

This is another BIG NO-NO on so many levels. One the baby and dad are sleeping in a recliner. Which is very unsafe. The baby could become wedged and suffocate. Also this dad is over weight and parents over-weight should NEVER BED SHARE!!!!! The problem I have noticed the people that claim bed share can be done safely are usually the ones who are practicing unsafe bed sharing increasing the chances their child will be one of the many bed sharing deaths statistic. Did you know??? Last year in Texas, Child Protective Services investigated 177 infant deaths where bed-sharing (also known as co-sleeping) was a factor. That formula feeding nor does breastfeeding have any affect of a child that dies to bed sharing. That all SIDS organizations warn against bed sharing That most of the time a medical examiner can not tell the difference between a suffocation death and a SIDS death in infants as both usually do not leave signs like suffocation would in an adult. Between 2001 and 2008, 183 infants died in Milwaukee due to sudden infant death syndrome or unsafe sleep practices, according to the Milwaukee Health Department. Sixty-eight percent of these babies were bed-sharing when they died. That a baby is more likely to die from bed sharing than if sleeping in their crib. Babies have a 40% greater chance of dying in an adult bed. Adult beds are soft not firm like a baby NEEDS. Did you know most bed sharing deaths are NOT caused by drugs or alcohol but only the ones the media shows. Before you place your baby in bed look at the facts, not facts by people who do not see bed sharing deaths like Dr. James McKenna or Dr. Bob Sears but people like SIDS experts, coroners, medical death investigators, or Medical examiners who find these dead babies and do the studies on them. We are not trying to make the crib industry richer we are just trying to help you give your baby the best chance possible. A- Alone B-Back to sleep C-Crib Also we suggest room sharing. We don't want babies down the hall in a room by themselves, studies have shown that babies who sleep in the same room next to their parents bed have a reduced risk of SIDS and the mother can still be there to take care of her baby's needs but without compromising safe sleep.

The Stories You Don't Hear...

On March 8, 6-day old Ceianna Buchanan died while co-sleeping with her mother on a couch. The mother told police she was drunk the night before.

On April 5, 3-month old Kymarius Hunt died while co-sleeping on a couch with his grandmother. She had drunk 8 beers during the day.

On April 19, 2-month old Tyler Winston died while co-sharing with his mother.

On April 25, 6-week old Demetrius Kimble died while co-sleeping with both parents in one bed. His mother had been drinking before bedtime.

On May 17, 2-month old Meekel McCleave died while sharing a bed with his mother early Sunday morning.

These stories make it seem like if you drink you shouldn't bed share, which no one will argue but I want to show you babies that have died when drinking wasn't a factor not were drugs of any kind.


Dayton Lee West Mullen:

His mother Lisa was told my Dayton's pediatrician that bed sharing promotes breast feeding. Lisa had a mattress on the floor when she co-slept with Dayton, she slept with him in her arms, she did not drink, smoke, or do any drugs illegal or over the counter. She slept with only a pillow for herself and a sheet that did not cover Dayton and then one morning she awoke to find her shoulder pressed into Dayton's face. He died from bed sharing.

Alayna Vivian:

Alayna lived for only 5 hours. Her mother Jodie was in the hospital and could not get Alayna to latch on and so after many failed attempts finally asked a nurse. The nurse placed a pillow in the bed with Jodie and then placed newborn alayna on top of it, and she latched on right away. Jodie of course was tired as any mother who just gave birth is and fell asleep while her daughter was nursing. She woke up to the nurses picking up Alayna's limp body, she died from suffocation when her mother fell asleep while bed sharing and nursing.

Chaston Manuel Clark:

Chaston's mommy Victoria also bed shared with her son and will his daddy but Victoria was right next to Chaston when one more she woke up to find her baby not breathing, the autopsy says SIDS but she believe he died from bed sharing. Suffocation and SIDS often look alike with no signs.


Kennedy Marie:



Her mother Tiffany never bed shared with her daughter, she did know the risks but one night she was tired and Kennedy's daddy feed her and burped her. Kennedy was a hard burper so he laid her on the bed for a few minutes before he burped her. He feel asleep and rolled on top of Kennedy killing her by an accident.

Jaleel:

Jaleel and his mommy Stacey bed shared after she had her c-section and tubal as it was easier for her to meet his needs while in pain and one morning Jaleel suffocated on a pillow while bed sharing.

"Mac"

Mac's mommy Sarah bed shared also and woke up the next morning to find Mac lying next to her but life no longer flowing inside his body.

Neveah:

Neveah and her mommy were bed sharing when she died at six months old.

Jaxin:

Jaxin and his daddy were bed sharing when he rolled on top of him and he died at almost 5 months old.

Naylen:

naylen was bed sharing in between her mommy and daddy when she passed away to SIDS.

Heather was bed sharing with her daughter Corynn, I want you to read her story:

"On April 3rd our second

child was born, a beautiful healthy baby girl who we called Corynn. We loved
her very much and she was very welcome in our lives.  We planned on raising our daughter the same way we were raising our son in the attachment parenting style. No cribs with bars that resembled jail cells for us, no way! Our little one would know how important and loved she was by being as close to mom as possible at all times especially for on demand night nursing. Of course she would always be put to bed on her back and away from blankets because we wanted her to have the most comforting safe sleep environment she could have.

Things were going great. We were a happy family together, perfect. We even did baby yoga together the day she died. I still remember her smile when I would look at her upside down from downward facing dog. We went to bed that night looking forward to another day together. At 3 am on June 7th, I awoke and something was wrong. I looked at my daughter lying next to me on her back where I had placed her to night nurse and she was pale and blue.  I picked her up and she was limp and heavy. I screamed to wake up my husband and demanded he call 911 while I started CPR.

 The paramedics came and were not able to resuscitate her. The sheriff and social workers came.  Everyone was very kind to us and empathetic to the tragedy that was occurring. More than once since that
day we have been told.”We slept with our child too.” “You didn’t do anything wrong. It is just a freak accident.”  But why us? I searched for the answer. I reviewed the guidelines for safe bed-sharing. I had bed-shared with my son and had never heard of or even considered what I was doing was unsafe. As long as your baby was put to sleep on their back and away from heavy blankets they would be sleeping safe right?  I had followed all the guidelines for “safe” bed-sharing and was not even in a “high-risk” group. I am lean,don’t smoke, no one was drinking or doing drugs, the bed had no blankets or pillows or guardrails, no pillow-top mattress, and she was not placed between me and another person.  I even wrote to the author of the book for these guidelines of safe sleep and have never heard back. People including medical professionals seemed to stand by that bed-sharing is safe,everybody does it, it was a just a terrible one in a million accident or maybe there was something wrong with me or my daughter?

The coroner’s final report suggested overlay as the cause of death. The image of my body as a murder weapon broke my heart. I only wanted to be there for her always, whenever she needed me. To think it was my ignorance that got her killed makes me feel like a failure. How can I have the right to breathe air when I took away hers? It didn’t make sense. It has taken time and the immeasurable kindness and empathy of family and friends to forgive myself and know that I needed to keep breathing to be there for my son.

My son is older now, but he still remembers his baby sister that died. Sometimes he asks me what happened, why his sister died. I explain she was sleeping in our bed and suffocated on accident. He will scold me and say, “You shouldn’t have had her in your bed. She should have had a crib. Why didn’t she have a crib?” I say I know now it was a mistake and we did not know any better at the time. I hope to help other
people know better. I share my story and I hope it is as obvious to them as it is to a 5 year-old, that babies sleep safer alone, on their back, and in a crib."

Before you think about putting your baby in bed with you, please consider all of us who laid our babies in bed and then laid them gently in their caskets to sleep for an eternity!!!!!

Bumper Pads And The Dangers Associated With Them.....

Today the city council panel passes A ban on bumper pads in Chicago, IL, as 14 deaths have been reported from bumper pads. When you are preparing for a new baby we look at crib sets. Often parents pick cute themes that are frilly and fluffy for girls and cute and masculine for boys and with every set includes a fitted sheet, a comforter, a bed skirt, and bumper pads. Parents decorate the inside of a crib thinking how cute it is and usually do not realize the dangers that these "must-have" sets can impose much like this ones.

Take a look at these two sets. Both of these have fluffy bumper pads and even the soft and thick blanket, with pillows this is an accidental infant death just waiting to happen! Most parents can look at these pictures and think how cute it is and not even realize the dangers of these seemingly harmless things are but let's take a closer look shall we?

Let's look at the pillow like bumper pads. Parents put these bumper pads in their child's crib to protect them from their head banging on the wooden bars and from getting a limb between one of the rails without even considering how dangerous these bumper pads are. As adults we want comfort. A soft pillow top mattress, soft pillows, and the most softest and warmest blanket we can find. It's almost like heaven to be comfy and cozy when we go to bed right? Now think of a newborn baby sleeping...they sometimes sleep in the most strangest positions and we think "How can they be comfortable?" Babies do not NEED the same comfort that we need as adults. We are talking about babies who are squished inside a mother's uterus {talk about uncomfortable}.

Many parents do not know why bumper pads were invented. Before the 1970's the crib slats in a crib were much further apart, a child could easily get their head caught between the rails. Just look at this picture of cribs over 30 years ago {ones we most likely had when we were babies}



This is an older crib with the slats further apart.

That is why bumper pads were created to prevent a baby from strangulation  if they got their head trapped between the slates. Now crib slats are much closer apart so much even a soda can can't fit through. Since crib slate are closer together bumper pads are no longer needed.
Some statistics about the dangers of bumper pads:

The CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) keep records of voluntary cases of deaths and injuries of products reported to them. The study conducted by Bradkey T. Thach, MD, George W. Rutherford, JR, MS, and Kathleen Harris look at reports of injuries and deaths of bumper pads from 1985 to 2005.  They also searched other CPSC database from crib-related injuries that potentially might have been prevented by bumpers. Additionally, they examined 22 retail crib bumpers and described features that could be hazardous.

The results:

Aiden suffocated on the crib bumper pad in his crib. He was six months old. “My beloved grandson was literally the light of my life.”

Please click here to read Aiden's story

Twenty-seven accidental deaths reported by medical examiners or coroners were attributed to bumper pads. The mechanism of death included suffocation and strangulation by bumper ties. Twenty-five nonfatal injuries were identified, and most consisted of minor contusions. All retail bumpers had hazardous properties.

Conclusion:

(J Pediatr 2007;151:271-4)

These findings suggest that crib and bassinet bumpers are dangerous. Their use prevents only minor injuries.

Because bumpers can cause death, we conclude that they should not be used.

To read the full report that includes death scene reconstruction pictures please go to:

http://baby411.typepad.com/babybargains/files/bumper_pads.pdf


These are real stories of  two babies who have died from bumper cribs from KIDS (Kids in Danger) which can be found at:

http://www.kidsindanger.org/family-voices/

Preston died when he rolled out of a sleep positioner and against the bumper in his crib. He was seven weeks old.

Click here to read Preston's story

Brandon Maruyama.6/1/85 - 10/18/85. Brandon's death was ruled SIDS but his face was smushed against the bumpers with his neck hyper-extended.

These are real families who will forever miss their babies because bumper pads took their lives. If you have bumper pads in your baby's crib please remove them immediately!!! Also if you haven't already please sign our petition to remove bumper pads and share with your friends and family. You can scroll up and on the left side of the blog sign the petition or you can go here to sign it.

Our babies cannot speak for themselves it is our job to protect them from hidden dangers like bumper pads! Just remember a baby has never died from putting their arm or leg through a slat in a crib or bumping into the slats, the same cannot be said about bumper pads. They were created to protect babies, but at least 27 babies have died from bumper pads and those are the ones we know about, how many more babies have suffocated from bumper pads?

Bed Sharing: What Dr.McKenna and Dr.Sears Fail To Tell You......

A mother and baby bed sharing together in bed is picture perfect isn't it? Seeing a picture of a mommy snuggled with her baby is sweet and they look so cozy don't they? What could be more innocent and good for the your baby? You are in bed with your baby sleeping in the crook of your arm and when he or she wakes up you feed them as you both drift off to dreamland. You get the sleep you so desperately need and your baby gets more sleep too right?

Now imagine this. You and your baby are bed sharing just as Dr.McKenna and Dr.Sears tell you to do. You do not smoke, don't do drugs, and haven't consumed alcohol. You are not over weight and are bed sharing because it promotes breast feeding and have been told it helps reduce the risk of SIDS. You would never roll over on your baby you know he/she is there. You follow every safe bed sharing guideline and then one morning you wake up to a silent baby. For some reason your baby didn't cry to wake you up like they do every other time. You look over and your baby is face down under a blanket or pillow, you are found on top of your baby, or your baby is lying silently and you realize in horror your baby is not breathing. You frantically call 9-1-1 and the paramedics rush to save your baby but it is too late...your baby died sometime in the night...right next to you.

Facts about bed sharing:

80% of babies that die from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) or SUID (Sudden Unexplained Infant Death) are placed in unsafe sleeping environments included but not limited to: bed sharing, baby found on a couch, or another soft sleeping surface, a baby found in crib with bumper pads, blankets, over heated by too many clothes on to keep the baby warm.

When you bed share a baby has a 40 times greater chance of not waking up in the morning

Dr.Sears advises bed sharing because it worked for him and his wife not based on any studies or scientific studies

Dr.McKenna claims bed sharing reduce the risk of SIDS but Dr. James McKenna is an anthropologist who studies mothers and babies sleeping together in a laboratory he does not study bed sharing in a family's natural environment.

Did you know bed sharing INCREASES the risk of SIDS by putting a baby in an unsafe sleeping environment.

We have no way of knowing which babies at birth are vulnerable to SIDS and we can't control any aspect of the critical development period (2-4 months of age), but parents to a great extent, can control the stressful environment factor by following safe sleep guidelines. Research suggests that all three elements (unknown vulnerability, critical development period, and stressful environment) combine to induce a SIDS death. The data from the CDC and Child Death Review Boards across the country unequivocally show that 8 out of 10 babies who die in their sleep are in unsafe sleeping environments.

Although in the media it shows babies dying from bed sharing when parents are drunk or under the influence of drugs, most bed sharing deaths are of parents who did everything right and were not under the influence.

McKenna will tell you bed sharing deaths are attributed to parents who feed their babies formula. Regardless whether you breastfeed or formula feed neither will protect a baby from suffocating.

Last year in Texas, Child Protective Services investigated 177 infant deaths where bed-sharing (also known as co-sleeping) was a factor, although the exact causes of most of those deaths are not known.

Bed sharing was associated with 2 times greater risk of SIDS compared with not bed sharing.

Nakamura et al. (CPSC, 1999) described 515 deaths of children younger than two years who were sleeping in adult beds.  Of these deaths, 121 were reported to be due to overlying of the child by a parent, other adult, or sibling, while 394 were due to entrapment in the bed structure.   A criticism of this study has been that the relative risk for bed sharing is unknown because we have not researched the number of families actually practicing bed sharing.  In an April 2001 presentation given at the National SIDS Alliance annual conference in Chicago, N.J. Sheers of the CPSC, working with Marian Willinger (epidemiologist from NICHD and member of AAP task force on Infant Sleep Position) presented the denominators and calculated rates.  According to their study, the risk of infant death for an infant alone in a crib is 1.32 per 100,000, while the risk of death for an infant in an adult bed is 30.0 per 100,000, a 23-fold increase.   We firmly believe that one infant death due to a completely preventable cause is one too many.  A greater than 20 fold increase in the risk for death is simply too great to ignore.

Rethink Your Position

Now would you chance bringing your baby into bed with you knowing the facts now?

                         Creating a Safe Sleep Environment for your Baby:

Every infant deserves to have the safest environment possible and that includes when babies sleep. Where the newest and probably the cutest member of your family sleeps is one of the most important decisions parents can make.

There are so many different options of where your baby sleeps some parents bed share (where an infant sleeps in bed with you and/or with your partner) Although many people still practice bed sharing, and pro bed sharers claim that it promotes breastfeeding and bonding with your baby there is a much safer way. Is it called crib sleeping, and is when your baby is placed in a crib. With crib sleeping you do not have to worry about accidental suffocation, layover, entrapment, and both you and baby will get a more sound sleep knowing you are both sleeping safely.

I will share with you the guidelines for creating a safe sleep environment for infants that is recommend by the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), the NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), and the CPSC(Consumer Product Safety Commission), along with First Candle, and The American SIDS Institute.


•Always place your baby to sleep on his/her back at nap time and bedtime. Do promote tummy time while your baby is awake & under supervision.

•Use a pacifier to help reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) use after a month if breastfeeding so the infant does not have nipple confusion.

•Do not use blankets, not even light weight receiving blankets! Instead use a Halo Sleep Sack. Blankets can suffocate a baby if the blanket it is near their face which can happen when babies move while sleeping. A Halo Sleep Sack prevents this from happening but keeps the baby warm just like a blanket would.

•Do not overly dress your baby in the winter months. Over heating has been linked to SIDS. Dress the baby as you would dress yourself.

•Never share a bed, couch, or any other sleeping surface with your baby. When bed sharing accidents can and do happen. The baby could accidentally suffocate, become entrapped between the bed and wall, or a parent, child, even an animal could roll on top of the baby causing the baby to stop breathing. More than 64 babies die a year to bed sharing deaths.

•Do room share. Place your infant’s bassinet, portable crib, or crib in the same room as you. You can still hear your baby, wake up when it’s hungry, and still keep the baby safe. Studies have shown that room sharing is recommended for the first six months of life to help reduce the risk of SIDS.

•A new study has found that having a fan while your baby is sleeping can also help reduce the risk of SIDS by recirculating the air that your baby breathes.

•Do not smoke during or after pregnancy. Even if you do not smoke inside the smoke still lingers on your clothes and even in your hair. Please get help to quit smoking to keep you healthy and to give your baby a better start at life.

•When you put your baby to sleep in his/her own crib make sure there are no stuff animals, toys of any kind, bumper pads, or blankets. The safest way for crib sleep contains baby & a fitted sheet. Nothing else should be in the crib that could cause a suffocation risk.

•Never bed share but especially if you smoke, drink alcohol, take prescribed or non prescription drugs, are overly tired, or over weight.

•Also educate others on safe sleep practices…. Especially anyone caring for your infant!

If you follow these simple guidelines it could save your baby’s life. All babies should have the chance to grow up.

Resources:

http://www.firstcandle.org/

http://www.sids.org/

http://www.cpsc.gov/

http://www.nichd.nih.gov/

http://www.aap.org/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Parents-Against-Co-Sleeping/107296279313586

http://www.halosleepsack.com/