INTRODUCTION
Accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed is one of the leading causes of death for infants. The majority of these incidents occur during sleep. Most infant suffocations occur when babies are placed face down on a soft surface that they sink into. Infants who are 0 to 4 months old have the greatest risk of suffocating. These young infants don't have enough strength to lift their heads and turn their faces so that they can breathe. Many of these deaths occur when a baby naps at the home of a friend who doesn't have a crib or doesn't know the importance of having the baby sleep on their back.
Please read the information for New Mexico Families to help you protect your infant from SUID/SIDS. We also have information for Healthcare Providers and Surveillance Data for the Research Community.
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NEW MEXICO FAMILIES
SIDS is the sudden, unexplained death of a baby younger than 1 year of age that doesn’t have a known cause even after a complete investigation. Each year in the United States, thousands of babies die suddenly and unexpectedly. These deaths are called SUID (pronounced SOO-idd), which stands for “Sudden Unexpected Infant Death.”
SUID includes all unexpected deaths: those without a clear cause, such as SIDS, and those from a known cause, such as suffocation. One-half of all SUID cases are SIDS. Many unexpected infant deaths are accidents, but a disease or something done on purpose can also cause a baby to die suddenly and unexpectedly.
Safe Sleep for Infants
Sleep-related causes of infant death are those linked to how or where a baby sleeps or slept. They are due to accidental causes, such as: suffocation; entrapment, when baby gets trapped between two objects, such as a mattress and wall, and can’t breathe; or strangulation, when something presses on or wraps around baby’s neck, blocking baby’s airway. These deaths are not SIDS.
Prevention Tips for Parents
- Always put your baby to sleep on his or her back, not the stomach.
- Always place babies to sleep in a safety-approved crib (look for a Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association certification label) with a firm tight-fitting mattress and tight-fitting bottom sheet.
- Never let your baby sleep on soft surfaces like waterbeds, sheepskin rugs, pillows or comforters.
- Babies placed on adult beds risk suffocation from several hidden hazards such as:
- Entrapment between bed and wall.
- Entrapment involving the bed frame, headboard or footboard.
- Falls from adult beds onto piles of clothing, plastic bags or other soft materials resulting in suffocation.
- Suffocation in soft bedding (such as pillows, thick quilts and comforters).
- An adult may roll over onto the infant causing the baby to suffocate.
- Remove quilts, comforters, pillows, bumper pads and other fluffy bedding and toys from baby's sleep area.
- Be sure your baby's head and face stay uncovered while he or she sleeps.
- Make sure crib has no loose or missing slats. Make sure slats are spaced no more than 2 3/8 inches apart to avoid head entrapment/strangulation.
- Never put a crib, childbed or furniture near windows. Children can strangle on window cords or can fall through screens.
- Breastfeed your baby for at least six months.
- Do not smoke or let anyone smoke around your baby.
- Explain these safety tips to other relatives and friends who may attend to your baby.
- Get rid of old, recalled baby furniture! If you are unsure if a nursery product has been recalled, visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site.
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HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS
As a child care provider, health care provider, or other healthcare professional who has frequent interaction with parents and children, you are in a unique position to be able to help educate New Mexico families about the risks of SUID/SIDS and possibly even help prevent injuries from it.
To help make this easier for you, we have collected several different resources that will assist you in spreading knowledge about SUID/SIDS to those who need it.
RESEARCH COMMUNITY
To provide more comprehensive data to characterize Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) cases and to determine which factors in the sleep environment contribute to SUID cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with many public and private partners developed the SUID Case Registry pilot program. In August 2009, CDC awarded funding to five states—Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, and New Mexico to participate in the SUID Case Registry Pilot Program. These grantees began data collection January 1, 2010. In July 2010, CDC granted funding to Minnesota and New Hampshire. They began data collection January 1, 2011.
To find out more about this pilot program, please visit the CDC Case Registry Pilot Program website.