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Waking Up To The Need To Promote Safe Infant Sleeping

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 13, 2008

Florida parents know car seats are needed to keep children safe on the road. They know fences and alarms are needed to keep little ones safe around swimming pools. And they know the number for poison control should be kept by the telephone.

But how many parents know the real danger posed by sleeping with their newborns, a practice called co-sleeping?

In 2006, 22 infants died in Florida as a result of unsafe sleeping conditions - about a third of the number of children who die from drowning.

Frequently it happens on the couch. The parent falls asleep with the baby and, on awakening, finds the infant wedged between the cushions, not breathing. Other times it happens in bed, when adults or other children roll over and accidentally smother them. Sometimes it involves blankets or pillows pushed aside during the night in a way that obscures the baby's breathing.

The danger of co-sleeping and unsafe sleeping conditions is little discussed with new parents, a problem the state Department of Children and Families rightfully wants to address.

A public education campaign is needed. Babies' lives are at stake.

Manatee County Sheriff's Maj. Connie Shingledecker thinks the number of children who die in co-sleeping accidents is underreported. Police officers aren't trained to ask all the pertinent questions when investigating a baby's death, she said. Some county medical examiners further obscure the number by listing these deaths as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome to spare the parents' feelings.

But in treading lightly on the danger of co-sleeping, Florida is missing an important opportunity to educate parents and prevent babies from dying.

The need for caution on co-sleeping should not be construed as criticism of parents who practice "attachment parenting" - a style of childrearing that encourages close contact with newborns. Those parents have gone the extra mile to educate themselves on how to snuggle their infants safely.

But not every new parent is given that information or knows to seek it out.

The question is how to get the information to parents.

Childbirth classes, which teach would-be parents about diaper changes and CPR, should distribute information about safe sleeping practices.

Hospital obstetrics units, too, could help reach families, including those with no private doctor.

Special attention needs to be paid to families who are homeless, impoverished or abuse drugs or alcohol. Shingledecker says a correlation exists between co-sleeping deaths and these characteristics.

One Catholic charity in Arcadia for years has handed out laundry baskets to migrant workers to use as makeshift bassinets. Tampa General Hospital has teamed up with local sewing enthusiasts in a similar effort, called Project Moses. Simple as the baskets are, they are a safer place for babies to sleep than a couch or a crowded bed.

These efforts often are small and depend on volunteers. They need the support of agencies like DCF and county health departments.

Florida doesn't need big fancy media campaign, but it does need to help new parents learn how to keep their babies safe.

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