Hospital promotes infant sleep safety

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) -- A Rhode Island hospital is launching a new initiative aimed at helping keep babies safe while they sleep.

Women & Infants Hospital in Providence calls the new campaign "Safe to Sleep."   It involves educating parents about the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, and other sleep-related dangers.

The hospital is also implementing a new model of care, which includes placing all babies in wearable blankets called "SleepSacks," and sending families home with a product called "Swaddle Me," which keeps infants tightly secured while sleeping.

"This campaign is really another step forward in making the baby sleep environment the safest that it can be," explained Marcia VanVleet, the Director of the Newborn Service Team at Women & Infants Hospital.

"We know from research that modeling behaviors in the hospital, that parents tend to follow that. So that's the big campaign of this, that we're trying to really model the safe sleep environment for the parents throughout their entire hospital stay while they're here."

SIDS is the number one killer of babies between the ages of one month and one year. 

Here are some recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics to help avoid SIDS and other crib-related dangers:

• Always place babies on their backs to sleep.
• Babies should always sleep on a hard surface
• Do not place any loose items in a baby's crib
• Babies should not be dressed too warmly, to avoid overheating
• Babies should not be exposed to cigarette smoke, or taking into a room where someone has recently been smoking

• Click here for more infant sleep safety guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics