Guys, this is a serious one today, but please bear with us because it’s important. Content warning: below we discuss sudden infant loss.
Baby sleep is serious as it has ramifications for physical and mental wellness – for baby, mum and the whole family. But there’s another reason to take it seriously; Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or ‘SIDS’.
SIDS is ‘the sudden and unexpected death of an infant under one year of age with an onset of a fatal episode occurring during sleep, that remains unexplained after a thorough investigation’ (from the Red Nose website, which you should definitely read – this blog briefly touches on safe sleeping but there is much more you need to know).
SIDS is the last thing that any of us want to think about but it’s important that we do, because there are things you can do reduce the risk of sudden infant death, which is why we’re talking about it here.
Red Nose lists six ways to sleep baby safely and reduce the risk of sudden unexpected death in infancy; there is more detail available, but they are:
- Sleep baby on back
- Keep head & face uncovered
- Keep baby smoke free before & after birth
- Safe sleeping environment night & day
- Sleep baby in safe cot in parents’ room
- Breastfeed baby
Find out more details, including images, in the Red Nose Safe Sleeping information.
So – keeping the room dark, keeping an eye on your baby’s tired signs and awake times and all the things we really believe in, they are important, but sleeping your baby safely is the most important thing of all.
The Red Nose website is full of really important and useful information, including information for pregnant mamas, age based , on a Safe Environment, Safe Lifestyle, Safe Practicesand Health Professionals.
If you or someone you love has lost a loved one to SIDS or sudden and unexpected death, our hearts sit with yours – it is that devastating loss we hope to help families avoid.
