New AAP Guidelines for Crib Safety

The American Academy ofPediatrics released new recommendations on Oct. 18 to promote safe sleep forbabies and decrease the risk of Sudden InfantDeath Syndrome (SIDS). Infants should be breast-fed, whenpossible, and immunized with all their shots, the new guidelinessay, because studies have shown both reduce the risk of SIDS.

The ideal baby bed consistssolely of a firm crib mattress covered by a fitted sheet, according to the AAP.There should be no gaps between the mattress and the crib.

Bumper pads pose a risk ofsuffocation (if the baby rolls up against the pad and doesn't roll away), andstrangulation (if the baby gets tangled in the bumper pad ties.). 

Other recommendations from theAAP include:

         . Alwaysplace your baby on his or her back for every sleep time.

         . Thebaby should sleep in the same room as the parents, but not in the same bed(room sharing without bed-sharing). This arrangement reduces the risk of SIDSby 50 percent, research shows.

         . Infantsshould not be fed on couches or in armchairs when there is a high risk that theparent will fall asleep.

         . Mothersshould not smoke before or after pregnancy, as smoking is a major risk factor forSIDS.

         . Offera pacifier at nap time and bedtime. Researchers aren't sure why, but using apacifier is linked with a reduced risk of SIDS, even if the pacifier falls outof the baby's mouth during sleep.

         . Avoidcovering the infant's head or allowing him to overheat.

         . Donot use home monitors or commercial devices marketed to reduce the risk of SIDS(there is no evidence such devices are safe, or that they reduce SIDS).

         . Whileawake, infants should spend some supervised time on their stomachs. This"tummy time" avoids putting constant pressure on the back of theskull. It also strengthens the baby's neck muscles, which reduces the risk of headdeformities that can occur when the baby's head lies on onespot for too long.

Source: MyHealthNewsDaily