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The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission and the JPMA have launched a
new national safety campaign urging parents not to ever bring babies to
sleep with them, but to always put them to sleep in cribs that meet current
safety standards. (Note: the JPMA is the Juvenile Products Manufacturer
Association - the association for crib manufacturers). This warning was
issued because a total of 180 children (out of more than 12 million in the
age range) died in an adult bed during the three years studied. This is
certainly tragic. BUT, during the same period, many thousands died in cribs!
I can see no justification for warning parents never to sleep with their
kids!
Which is really safer? The only way to know is to learn how many kids sleep
where, and for how long -- statistics we just don’t have yet. But we do know
a lot about the kids who die.
A recent review of all the
SIDS
cases in Alaska over a period of six years was published in the October 2001
issue of Pediatrics. It was consistent with previous studies. Far
more important than where a child slept was the
sleeping
position and the parents use of
tobacco,
alcohol,
antihistamines, or other drugs. During 6 years, 130 children died of
SIDS.
Only 2 children died face up in a crib; only one died face up in bed with a
non-drug-using parent on a non-water mattress. Fully 98 percent of cases
were associated with other risk factors.
In May 2002 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced their
major campaign to reach new and expectant parents, day care centers,
hospitals, medical facilities, and retail outlets with their message to use
cribs, and never to sleep with a baby. The
announcement was made at a press conference at the annual International
Juvenile Products Show in Dallas, Texas. I called the CPSC to see if there
was any science or reason for their promotion. They offered none. What a
disservice to parents -- especially in light of what the CPSC calls their
"significantly limited monetary and staff resources". Instead of spending so
much on a recommendation without a shred of proof, I wish their efforts had
targeted the other 98 percent of SIDS cases.
Parents who choose to sleep with their babies (a wonderful choice for many
families) should be taught how to do it safely. Anything that makes parents
more difficult to wake up or anything that hinders babies’ ability to
breathe should be avoided.
Babies are safer sleeping next to someone who is aware of their presence and
easily awoken. Usually, this is the
mother.
Fathers,
siblings,
and
babysitters do not tend to wake up as easily when needed, though there
are exceptions.
Whoever you are, don’t sleep with a baby if you are taking something
(alcohol, antihistamines, or other drugs) that makes you less aware of the
baby when you sleep. The same holds true if you are so
sleep-deprived that you would have difficulty waking up if the baby were
in need.
Tobacco smoke,
adult obesity,
over-bundling,
excess
bedding, waterbeds, couches, and chemical irritants (fragrances that
might irritate a baby’s nose and clog the air passages) could all make
breathing
dangerously difficult for babies.
Teaching babies to
sleep in
their own cribs is a good option for some families;
sleeping with
their babies is a good option for others. Many babies sleep in a crib
most of the night, and then join the parents after the last
feeding
for some snuggle and sleep time together before starting the day.
Whatever arrangement you choose, enjoy these unrepeatable months when your
child is a baby, and learn what you can about what helps you and your baby
to thrive.
| Alan Greene MD |
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| May 06, 2002 |
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Click here to read yesterday's Daily Dose of Dr. Greene. |
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