What Grandparents Need to Know about Safe Sleep

10/14/2022

When my first two children were born, the advice was to put them to sleep on their stomachs. By the time the second two were born, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) had launched their “Back to Sleep” campaign. This campaign, debuting in 1994, cut sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) rates in half. Sadly, over 3400 babies under the age of one still die without explanation. Some experts believe the number officially attributed to SIDS is an underestimate.

Whatever the actual number is, this is an undisputable fact: Every baby lost to SIDS is a tragedy.

October is SIDS awareness month, and grandparents can help prevent a tragedy in their own family in two ways: getting educated and helping to educate others.

Learn about safe sleep

Here’s what grandparents need to know about safe sleep.

First and foremost, babies should be put on their backs to sleep.

As much fun as it is to make those quilts and crocheted baby blankets, nothing should be in the crib except the baby. Blankets, quilts, pillows, bumper pads, and toys can all lead to suffocation. Keep baby warm by using sleep sacks rather than blankets.

The AAP currently recommends that infants sleep in their parents’ room. They should be in a crib or bassinet that is close to the parents’ bed for at least the first 6 months, and ideally a year. Breastfeeding mothers can co-sleep if they follow important safety guidelines.

If your grandchild is sleeping at your house, they shouldn’t sleep in your bed, with or without you. Our own beds, with their pillows, blankets, and soft, side-less mattresses are never a safe place for baby to sleep. Nor should they fall asleep on us, no matter how cute it is to see Grandpa and Junior napping together in the recliner. Our couches and chairs are not designed to keep a baby safe, and they don’t.

In 2022, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned many products previously marketed as sleep solutions for infants. These include inclined sleepers, in-bed sleepers, baby boxes, sleep hammocks and small bassinets without a stand, such as the ones that fit on top of a portable crib. These types of products have been responsible for dozens of infant deaths, and are still being passed along by neighbors, sold in resale shops, and found at garage sales. Make sure you do not use or pass along of these products. Check the CPSC website for more information.

Your grandbaby’s environment should be smoke and vape free.

If your grandbaby will be sleeping at your house, you need a place for naps and bedtime. Make the small investment to make sure that place is safe. Before you use an old crib that a neighbor is passing on, or the bassinette that’s been in the family for a century, make sure it conforms to modern safety standards. These standards are in place because we’ve learned more about how to protect babies, and we should be thankful we have another tool to ensure our grandbabies grow up safe and sound.

Drop-side cribs are no longer considered safe. Make sure any crib you use for your grandbaby meets the latest guidelines from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Among their main points:

A firm, tight-fitting mattress—no more than two fingers between mattress and crib frame.
No more than 2 3/8 inches (about the width of a soda can) between crib slats so a baby's body cannot fit through the slats; no missing or cracked slats.
No corner posts over 1/16th inch high so a baby's clothing cannot catch.
No cutouts in the headboard or foot board so a baby's head cannot get trapped.

Mesh-sided cribs and play yards must also be inspected for safety:

Make sure the size of the mess is smaller than any buttons on a baby's clothing.
No tears or holes in mesh or top rail cover.

See the full guidance, and check for any changes, here.

Finally, check for safety issues at recalls.gov.

Help educate others

Grandparents have the ability to influence not just their own families, but also their peers. Now that you know about safe sleep habits, you can be an advocate for the safe sleep movement. This doesn’t mean you should start lecturing others! Here are some simple ways you can help keep all babies safe from SIDS.

Share safe sleep photos
If your grandbaby’s parents allow you to post photos online, share a photo with baby sleeping safely to help normalize safe sleep images. Use the hashtags #SafeSleepSnap #ClearTheCrib to celebrate caregivers’ roles in helping to keep baby safe during sleep.

Shift the narrative
If you hear another grandparent lamenting that their daughter-in-law refuses to use the family crib, remind her that times have changed, and we now know more about how to keep babies safe. One in three infant deaths is caused by unsafe sleep areas. Share what you’ve learned, or send her this blog post!

There is so much we can’t protect our grandchildren from in this world, but there is also much we can do to keep them safe. Providing a safe area to sleep is one of the easiest things we can do!

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