INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Over the last 75 years, it has become a custom in Finland to give expecting mothers a box with a mattress in the bottom to become the baby’s first bed.
The tradition began in the 1930s because babies used to sleep in the same bed as their parents and infant mortality rose to a high, 65 out of a 1,000 babies died. But the figures improved rapidly in the decades that followed. Now, Finland has one of the world’s lowest infant mortality rates.
The Indian River County Healthy Start Coalition (IRCHSC) also believes in giving infants an equal start in life by providing our own gift to new parents through one of our long standing programs: TLC Newborn.
TLC Newborn presents every baby visited at Indian River Medical Center with a onesie inscribed “This Side Up” on the front to remind parents and other caregivers to put babies on their backs to sleep.
By implementing this safe sleep campaign, the IRCHSC is confident that it can help reduce the number of sudden, unexpected infant deaths in Indian River County, by making every parent aware of this life saving, safe sleep practice before leaving the hospital.
The organization also tries to ensure that every baby has access to a safe crib. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death among infants between one month and one year of age. Healthy babies sleep safest on their backs.
A “Baby’s First Book” is also provided to new families through a grant from Quail Valley Charities.
Science has proven that reading to a baby early helps to develop bonding and attachment of caregivers with the infant, increases infants’ language skills and contributes to proper physical brain development especially in the first 12 months of life.
Reading to a baby 15 minutes a day is a good goal. It adds up to over 500 hours of reading before the child enters kindergarten.
Safe sleep is one of the most important things we can do to protect our very youngest. Babies sleep safest alone in a crib on their back.
Keep the baby’s sleep area clear of strings, cords and wires. Give the baby a pacifier (never a bottle) when he or she goes to sleep. If the baby does not want the pacifier, do not force it into his or her mouth or reinsert it if the baby has discarded it during sleep.
Keep the room temperature comfortable for a lightly clothed adult. For the first six months, keep the baby’s bed in the same room as the caregiver in order to be attentive to the baby’s cries. Avoid exposing the baby to smoke both during pregnancy and after birth, as exposure to smoke is a major risk factor for Sudden Infant Death (SIDS) and Sudden Unexplained Death Syndrome (SUID).
Use infant sleep clothing designed to keep your baby warm without the possible hazard of head covering or entrapment. Infants are typically comfortable with one layer more than an adult would wear to be comfortable in the same environment.
Although they may look cute, pillows, blankets, bumper pads and toys can suffocate your infant.
Despite popular belief, sleep aids such as wedges and sleep positioners can increase the risk of infant death due to suffocation. If the infant shifts at all, the soft objects can actually trap the baby in a fatal position.
Sleeping with your infant may be more convenient and look peaceful, but the risk of an adult rolling onto or pinning the baby and killing the infant by suffocation increases immensely through co-sleep.
Each baby should have its own bed. Even multiples and other siblings increase the risk of suffocation.
Adult beds, air mattresses, beanbags, reclining chairs, and sofas, are not made for babies and can wedge a baby, causing suffocation. Any loose cables, wires, bumper pad strings, or similar objects around the crib could be fire hazards and add risk of wrapping around a baby’s neck and strangling him or her.
Laying a baby in any position other than on his or her back to sleep could inhibit a clear airway for the baby.
For more ideas on safe sleep practices as well as ideas on how to help your baby sleep calmly and comfortably, contact the Healthy Start Coalition office, located at 333 17th Street Suite R, Vero Beach, just west of the Alma Lee Loy Bridge. For more information visit www.irchealthystartcoalition.org or call (772)-563-9118.
