What should the nurse teach the parents about preventing sudden infant death syndrome SIDS )?
Creating a Safe Sleep Area for BabiesHealth care providers and researchers don’t know the exact causes of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). However, research shows parents and caregivers can help reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths by doing the following: Show
View a safe sleep environment at What does a safe sleep environment look like? from Safe to Sleep®. Additional Recommendations to Reduce the Risk of SIDSCDC supports the 2022 recommendations issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). In addition to the recommendations listed above, other recommendations from the AAP to reduce the risk of SIDS include:
Parents and caregivers can learn more about these and other recommendations at Ways to Reduce Baby’s Risk from Safe to Sleep® and How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained from AAP’s Healthy Children website. CDC Safe Sleep VideoIn 2019, CDC hosted a Facebook live event to communicate information about safe sleep for babies during SIDS Awareness Month. To support organizations in developing their own remote, live social media events to promote safe sleep, CDC developed a toolkit with additional resources. NICHD Spanish-language Safe Sleep VideoLearn about how to create a safe sleep environment for baby and find out answers to frequently asked questions this Spanish-language video featuring experts from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and CDC. Safe Sleep ResourcesSafe to Sleep® CDC collaborates with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in its Safe to Sleep® campaign, formerly known as the Back to Sleep campaign. The Safe to Sleep® campaign has outreach activities to spread safe sleep messages and educational materials about ways to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths. Cribs for Kids® Cribs for Kids® works to prevent infant sleep-related deaths by educating parents and caregivers on the importance of practicing safe sleep for their babies through programs (such as the Safe Sleep Ambassador program) and by providing portable cribs to families who, otherwise, cannot afford a safe place for their babies to sleep. Safe Kids Worldwide Find sleep safety and suffocation prevention tips from Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit organization working to help families and communities keep kids safe from injuries. Page last reviewed: June 28, 2022 To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address:
IntroductionInfants are unable to control their sleeping environment. Providing a safe sleeping environment is the best way to reduce the risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI). SUDI is a broad term that includes all sudden and
unexpected deaths of infants less than 12 months old – this current definition includes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and deaths caused by asphyxia or of an undetermined cause after a thorough investigation including performance of an autopsy and review of the circumstances of death and the clinical history. SUDI remains the leading cause of infant death with the peak age being between two and four months of age. Infants who require care in a neonatal unit are considered part of the infant population with an increased vulnerability to SIDS. Parental home practices are influenced by what has been observed in the neonatal unit. Infants who have had altered sleeping positions, due to medical needs, need time to accustom to sleeping supine. It is imperative that nurses teach and model recommended infant sleep practices before discharge to reduce the incidence of SUDI. AimThe aims of this guideline are to:
This guideline applies to all neonates and infants receiving care at The Royal Children’s Hospital. Definition of Terms
Risk FactorsThere are multiple areas that contribute to risks associated with SUDI:
Strategies to promote safe sleeping1. Place infant on back to sleep
2. Provide a Safe sleep environmentNote: In an intensive care environment there will be times where an elevated bed head and nests are used for infants that are sedated/require mechanical ventilation. These have been shown as developmentally supportive measures for periods of stress, to avoid energy expenditure, reduce unnecessary movements and assist in the weaning of analgesia. They must however be removed as soon as developmentally and medically appropriate for the infant and the infant should then be slept within the recommended safe sleeping guidelines.
Consideration:
Discharge advice:
3. Keep Infant Smoke FreeSmoking remains one of the most important modifiable risk factor in reducing the risk of SUDI. Babies who are exposed to tobacco
smoke before and after birth are at an increased risk of SUDI.
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