Every year in the United States approximately 2,500 babies die of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Even though those numbers have come down substantially over the years…even one death a year from SIDS is one infant death too many. So, research on ways of preventing those deaths is very important.
A new study is suggesting that having a fan, in the room of an infant, can greatly reduce the possibility of death by SIDS by up to 72% according to the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine. Check it out here: http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/ Invited to a baby shower? Show your love and concern by gifting the new parents with a fan and a printout of the reasons of the importance of the gift regarding the health of their baby! Educate parents, first time parents or teenaged parents, grandparents of the new research; empower them with the newest safety information.
While the understanding of the role of the fan, in the prevention of deaths of infants from SIDS, is not clearly understood…it was found that rooms that were heated to above 69 degrees benefitted by the use of a fan in the prevention of death from SIDS. It is thought that overly warm temperatures increase the potential of death by SIDS.
Another possible benefit of using a fan in the infant’s room is that the fan helps to circulate the air flow around the baby. Babies who are put to sleep on their backs do better as well, because babies who sleep on their stomachs have less airflow in the early months of life; when their necks are too weak to lift their heads if the airflow is not sufficient for healthy breathing. There has been a big campaign to educate parents to use the BACK TO SLEEP plan for this reason. Babies who sleep on their stomachs also have a larger incidence of rebreathing in carbon dioxide that they have exhaled. A fan can help to circulate the air around babies. Still, putting an infant to sleep on their back is a better solution to keeping the airflow open around baby. Important: Just remember that when using a fan…keep the cords away from small hands that could pull the fan down and cause injury.
What else can a parent do to keep their newborn infants safe from SIDS? First of all, putting a baby to sleep on their backs in a crib with a firm mattress is an important part of the equasion. The crib must have the side rail bars or slats spaced 2 3/8 inches apart or less; so that a baby does not get trapped between the bars. Next, comes the idea of dressing the baby with adequate clothing to keep the baby warm; but, not so many articles of clothing as to overheat the baby. Keep the crib free from toys, from blankets or pillows or even bumper pads that cannot be firmly attached to the side of the crib. It is important to keep all items away from an infant that doesn’t have the ability to turn it’s head or to push away from anything that can block it’s airflow.
Never lay an infant to sleep on an adult bed or extremely soft or conforming surface. Cuddle time is important…but, doing so in an adult bed could allow the adult to fall asleep. It is not worth the risk of falling asleep with your infant beside you, when you are not awake enough to keep watch over your young infant. No one wants to live with regrets on a tragedy that could be avoided by remembering that safety comes first regarding your baby.
If you are leaving your child in the care of a grandparent or a caregiver…it is wise to include this new information on the best way to keep your baby safe. Take the small fan with you when you are entrusting others to care for your small child. Make sure that they follow your direction in the way that you wish your child to be cared for. It may be different than they have previously cared for other young babies…but, it is never too late to learn. If they wish to care for your child…express the need for them to follow this guideline of using the fan and not bundling your child up with unneccessary blankets and clothing.
Many years ago, i knew a young family that lost an infant daughter to SIDS. It was a horrendous event in their family life. In fact, their marriage didn’t survive more than another couple of years after the death of their child. I can’t help but wonder, if this information was available then…would their child have lived? How many babies can be saved with this new information?
Here is a great site that can offer more tips on infant safety for parents of young infants regarding SIDS prevention: http://sids.org/nprevent.htm Did you learn anything new in this blog post that you felt was beneficial to you; or, someone that you know who has a young infant?
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