SIDS: Information Every Parent Needs to Know
In 1988, out of 1,000 live births, 1.4 infant deaths occurred due to
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS (Meadows-Oliver, 2013). The most used
definition for SIDS is “’the sudden death of an infant under 1 year of age,
which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including
performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of
the clinical history’” (Meadows-Oliver, 2013). However, the amount of deaths due
to SIDS has decreased by 50% since the American Academy of Pediatrics launched
its “Back to Sleep Campaign” in 1994 (Sullivan, 2011). The main goal of the
“Back to Sleep Campaign” is to provide information about SIDS and educate people
on the ways to reduce the risk of it. Every parent should be aware of the
dangers of SIDS and should follow the “Back to Sleep” guidelines in order to
protect their infant.
The“Back to Sleep Campaign” has provided many different ways to help
protects infants against both SIDS and Sudden unexpected infant death, or SUIDs,
which is a larger category that contains SIDS. The main recommendation is to
place infants in the supine sleeping position, or on their backs, every time
they go to sleep (Meadows-Oliver, 2013). However, this frightens many parents
because they are concern that their infant will choke in their sleep. The
campaign reinforces that babies have built-in physical guards against choking
(Sullivan, 2011). Therefore, parents should not worry about their child choking
because they are sleeping on their back. It is recommended that infants be
placed in the supine sleep position until they are one year old (Meadows-Oliver,
2013). This is the first of 18 guidelines that parents should follow in order to
lower the occurrence of SIDS and SUID deaths. All 18 guidelines are summarized
as follows:
1. “Use‘Back to Sleep’ recommendations for every sleep.”
2. “Use a firm crib mattress covered by a fitted sheet.”
3. “Encourage room sharing without bed sharing.”
4. “Keep soft objects and loose bedding out of the crib.”
5. “Receive regular prenatal care when pregnant.”
6. “Avoid smoke exposure during pregnancy and after birth.”
7. “Avoid alcohol and illicit drug use during pregnancy and after birth.”
8. “Breastfeed if possible.”
9. “Consider offering a pacifier at naptime and at bedtime.”
10. “Avoid overheating.”
11. “Immunize the infant with all the recommended vaccines.”
12. “Avoid commercial marketing devices, such as wedges and positioners, to reduce SIDS.”
13. “Do not use home cardiorespiratory monitors as a strategy to reduce SIDS.”
14. “Use supervised, awake tummy time to facilitate development and to minimize developmental plagiocephaly.”
15. “Endorse and model the SIDS risk-reduction recommendations from birth.”
16. “Follow safe sleep guidelines in messaging and advertising.”
17. “Expand the national campaign to reduce the risk of SIDS.”
18. “Continue research on SIDS and SUID” (Meadows-Oliver, 2013).
Following all of these recommendations drastically lowers the risk of SIDS and SUIDS.
While not every parent can take the time to inform others or have the ability to
research ways to lower the risk, they can follow most of the guidelines with
ease.
Some of the recommendations focus on the child’s sleeping environment. By removing
all loose items from a crib and having the child sleep on a hard mattress with a fitted sheet, there are fewer things available for the child to accidentally suffocate themselves on during their sleep. Although they may look comfortable and cute in a crib, objects such as quilts, bumper pads, comforters, and blankets should not be in the crib while the infant is sleeping(Meadows-Oliver, 2013). Also, parents should never co-sleep with their child. Co-sleeping is dangerous because it “put[s] the infant at risk of smothering under heavy covers, [can cause] airway obstruction if an adult limb falls across its face, and even [increases] overheating—a recognized SIDS risk factor” (Sullivan, 2011). Because of these risks, parents should never co-sleep with their child, but it is advised that infants sleep in the same room as their parents, just in different beds. These are just some of the thing that can reduce the risk of infant deaths.
Things such as prenatal care and the actions of the mothers also have a large impact on
the likelihood of SIDS and SUIDs. Mothers should make sure to avoid smoke during their pregnancy, not smoke during pregnancy themselves, and keep their infants away from smoke as much as possible. Alcohol and other drugs should also not be consumed during pregnancy. Receiving prenatal care is also important because regular care has shown to lower the risk of SIDS (Meadows-Oliver, 2013). It is also recommended that women breastfeed if
possible.
Other measures that can be taken to avoid SIDS include giving infants a pacifier during sleep and avoiding overheating. It has been shown that pacifiers during sleep protect infants from SIDS even if the pacifier falls out in the middle of the night (Meadows-Oliver, 2013). Most people believe that this is because the pacifier stimulates arousal because the babies suck on them in their sleep (Sullivan, 2011). The campaign also recommends that pacifiers should not be attached around infant’s necks or to their clothing, because it can accidentally
strangle the baby in their sleep (Meadows-Oliver, 2013). Overheating should also be avoided. Infants should not be wrapped in too many layers of clothing and it is shown to lower the risk of SIDS by seventy percent (Meadows-Oliver, 2013).
One other guideline that every parent should follow is to provide supervised tummy
time. Tummy time is time when the infant plays and does other activities on their tummy. This promotes development of motor skills and allows upper body muscles to develop (Meadows-Oliver, 2013). This time should be supervised by an adult in order to make sure the infant does not fall asleep in this position.
Every parent should be award of SIDS and the risks associated with it. It is scary to think about losing your child to something that could be avoided like this because it is completely unexpected. However, by following the guidelines presented by the American Academy of Pediatrics “Back to Sleep Campaign,” the risk for SIDS can be significantly lowered. Anyone who is looking for more information should go to one of the following websites: nichd.nih.gov, sids.org, or http://www.cpsc.gov.
Literature Cited:
Meadows-Oliver, M., & Hendrie, J. (2013, January-February). Expanded back to sleep
guidelines. Pediatric Nursing, 39(1), 40+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA321680422&v=2.1&u=lom_adriancollg&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w
Sullivan, M. G. (2011, November). New SIDS stoppers: no cosleeping, cleared cribs:
pacifiers seem to protect against SIDS, although the mechanism isn't really
understood. Pediatric News, 45(11), 1+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA274409152&v=2.1&u=lom_adriancollg&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS (Meadows-Oliver, 2013). The most used
definition for SIDS is “’the sudden death of an infant under 1 year of age,
which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including
performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of
the clinical history’” (Meadows-Oliver, 2013). However, the amount of deaths due
to SIDS has decreased by 50% since the American Academy of Pediatrics launched
its “Back to Sleep Campaign” in 1994 (Sullivan, 2011). The main goal of the
“Back to Sleep Campaign” is to provide information about SIDS and educate people
on the ways to reduce the risk of it. Every parent should be aware of the
dangers of SIDS and should follow the “Back to Sleep” guidelines in order to
protect their infant.
The“Back to Sleep Campaign” has provided many different ways to help
protects infants against both SIDS and Sudden unexpected infant death, or SUIDs,
which is a larger category that contains SIDS. The main recommendation is to
place infants in the supine sleeping position, or on their backs, every time
they go to sleep (Meadows-Oliver, 2013). However, this frightens many parents
because they are concern that their infant will choke in their sleep. The
campaign reinforces that babies have built-in physical guards against choking
(Sullivan, 2011). Therefore, parents should not worry about their child choking
because they are sleeping on their back. It is recommended that infants be
placed in the supine sleep position until they are one year old (Meadows-Oliver,
2013). This is the first of 18 guidelines that parents should follow in order to
lower the occurrence of SIDS and SUID deaths. All 18 guidelines are summarized
as follows:
1. “Use‘Back to Sleep’ recommendations for every sleep.”
2. “Use a firm crib mattress covered by a fitted sheet.”
3. “Encourage room sharing without bed sharing.”
4. “Keep soft objects and loose bedding out of the crib.”
5. “Receive regular prenatal care when pregnant.”
6. “Avoid smoke exposure during pregnancy and after birth.”
7. “Avoid alcohol and illicit drug use during pregnancy and after birth.”
8. “Breastfeed if possible.”
9. “Consider offering a pacifier at naptime and at bedtime.”
10. “Avoid overheating.”
11. “Immunize the infant with all the recommended vaccines.”
12. “Avoid commercial marketing devices, such as wedges and positioners, to reduce SIDS.”
13. “Do not use home cardiorespiratory monitors as a strategy to reduce SIDS.”
14. “Use supervised, awake tummy time to facilitate development and to minimize developmental plagiocephaly.”
15. “Endorse and model the SIDS risk-reduction recommendations from birth.”
16. “Follow safe sleep guidelines in messaging and advertising.”
17. “Expand the national campaign to reduce the risk of SIDS.”
18. “Continue research on SIDS and SUID” (Meadows-Oliver, 2013).
Following all of these recommendations drastically lowers the risk of SIDS and SUIDS.
While not every parent can take the time to inform others or have the ability to
research ways to lower the risk, they can follow most of the guidelines with
ease.
Some of the recommendations focus on the child’s sleeping environment. By removing
all loose items from a crib and having the child sleep on a hard mattress with a fitted sheet, there are fewer things available for the child to accidentally suffocate themselves on during their sleep. Although they may look comfortable and cute in a crib, objects such as quilts, bumper pads, comforters, and blankets should not be in the crib while the infant is sleeping(Meadows-Oliver, 2013). Also, parents should never co-sleep with their child. Co-sleeping is dangerous because it “put[s] the infant at risk of smothering under heavy covers, [can cause] airway obstruction if an adult limb falls across its face, and even [increases] overheating—a recognized SIDS risk factor” (Sullivan, 2011). Because of these risks, parents should never co-sleep with their child, but it is advised that infants sleep in the same room as their parents, just in different beds. These are just some of the thing that can reduce the risk of infant deaths.
Things such as prenatal care and the actions of the mothers also have a large impact on
the likelihood of SIDS and SUIDs. Mothers should make sure to avoid smoke during their pregnancy, not smoke during pregnancy themselves, and keep their infants away from smoke as much as possible. Alcohol and other drugs should also not be consumed during pregnancy. Receiving prenatal care is also important because regular care has shown to lower the risk of SIDS (Meadows-Oliver, 2013). It is also recommended that women breastfeed if
possible.
Other measures that can be taken to avoid SIDS include giving infants a pacifier during sleep and avoiding overheating. It has been shown that pacifiers during sleep protect infants from SIDS even if the pacifier falls out in the middle of the night (Meadows-Oliver, 2013). Most people believe that this is because the pacifier stimulates arousal because the babies suck on them in their sleep (Sullivan, 2011). The campaign also recommends that pacifiers should not be attached around infant’s necks or to their clothing, because it can accidentally
strangle the baby in their sleep (Meadows-Oliver, 2013). Overheating should also be avoided. Infants should not be wrapped in too many layers of clothing and it is shown to lower the risk of SIDS by seventy percent (Meadows-Oliver, 2013).
One other guideline that every parent should follow is to provide supervised tummy
time. Tummy time is time when the infant plays and does other activities on their tummy. This promotes development of motor skills and allows upper body muscles to develop (Meadows-Oliver, 2013). This time should be supervised by an adult in order to make sure the infant does not fall asleep in this position.
Every parent should be award of SIDS and the risks associated with it. It is scary to think about losing your child to something that could be avoided like this because it is completely unexpected. However, by following the guidelines presented by the American Academy of Pediatrics “Back to Sleep Campaign,” the risk for SIDS can be significantly lowered. Anyone who is looking for more information should go to one of the following websites: nichd.nih.gov, sids.org, or http://www.cpsc.gov.
Literature Cited:
Meadows-Oliver, M., & Hendrie, J. (2013, January-February). Expanded back to sleep
guidelines. Pediatric Nursing, 39(1), 40+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA321680422&v=2.1&u=lom_adriancollg&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w
Sullivan, M. G. (2011, November). New SIDS stoppers: no cosleeping, cleared cribs:
pacifiers seem to protect against SIDS, although the mechanism isn't really
understood. Pediatric News, 45(11), 1+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA274409152&v=2.1&u=lom_adriancollg&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w
Toys; More than just Entertainment
Every child should have toys to play with. For a lot of parents, these toys provide a break for them while their child entertains themselves. However, toys do a lot more for children that this. Children need toys in order to help develop gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and perceptions. Gross motor skill involve moving large parts of the body, while fine motor skills involve picking up small objects with your fingers and other movement that require only small area of the body to move. Perceptual development is the growth of the perceptions such as vision, hearing, touch, and smell. The following children’s toys have been evaluated by our developmental psychologists. The first two are evaluated based on motor development, and the last two are evaluated for how effective they are at promoting perceptual development.
Infantino Activity Gym
This toy is a multi-colored, pyramid-shaped activity gym that has a different activity on each side of the pyramid. Some of the different activities include a fish in a pond that can be moved up and down and birds that can be unattached from the activity gym and placed into a small hole that resembles a bird’s nest. This toy helps develop gross motor skills because children have to reach with their arms to play with the different objects and can even play with this laying down or sitting up once they are able to. By playing with the flaps, picking up the fish, and pulling off the birds, children are also able to develop their fine motor skills. We, as developmental psychologists, recommend this toy because it provides a variety of animals, sounds, and textures that should keep the child interested. It is very interesting and children will be motivated to play with it. From a parent’s viewpoint we also believe it is an exceptional toy because there are four sides to keep children interested and two children can even play with it at one time. It is also helpful for parents because it folds up and can easily be taken wherever you go.
Infantino Tower
This is another multi-colored toy made by the same company as the toy above. It is a tower that has rings of various shapes, colors, and textures to place onto the tower. There is a soft ring that is squeezable, a ring shaped like a fish, and a ring with a moving object that can be pushed back and forth. Both fine and gross motor skills are being developed as a child plays with this object. Fine motor skills are being developed because the child has to grasp the
rings with their hands or move the small object around the ring. On the other hand, gross motor skills are in growing as the child places the rings on the tower, takes them off, shakes them around, or even throws them across the room. Most parents recommend this toy because it is a different version of the ring tower toy that allows the children to play with not only the whole object, but also each individual ring. Developmental psychologists agree that this toy is very beneficial to a child because it has many different ways to develop both fine and gross motor skills while keeping the child entertained.
rings with their hands or move the small object around the ring. On the other hand, gross motor skills are in growing as the child places the rings on the tower, takes them off, shakes them around, or even throws them across the room. Most parents recommend this toy because it is a different version of the ring tower toy that allows the children to play with not only the whole object, but also each individual ring. Developmental psychologists agree that this toy is very beneficial to a child because it has many different ways to develop both fine and gross motor skills while keeping the child entertained.
Shape-Sorting Clock
The Shape Sorting Clock is a clock that has different shapes for each number on the clock. Each shape is a different color and the hands of the clock have “hour”and “minute” written on them for extra help. Children can move the hour and minute hands to learn how to tell time. This clock promotes perceptual development because it allows children not only to learn to tell time, but to also place the blocks in their correct spots based on their shape. It also use both numbers and words that children use to learn to tell time. The bright colors are also a good source of perceptual development as children learn to recognize each color individually. A developmental psychologist would recommend this toy to help children with perceptual development because it helps children learn to identify shapes, count, recognize colors, and tell time based on their skill level. From the parent’s perspective, this toy should be recommended to others because it provides instructions and steps for parents and children to follow and provides a concrete way for parents to teach about time.
Bumble Ball
The Bumble Ball is a vibrating ball that has different rubber pegs protruding from it. Children can turn the ball on and feel it vibrate in their hands. Although it promotes perceptual development in some ways such as touch due to the vibrations and even sound depending on which surface the toy is on, there are very little other ways it would help your children develop perceptually. Although parents may recommend this toy because it is cheap, it provides very little entertainment because there are only so many things a child could do with it. Also, as a developmental psychologist, I would not recommend this toy because there are many other toys out there that provide more opportunities for your children to develop perceptually and are more entertaining overall. In general, this toy would be better suited for your dog than your child.