Safe Infant Sleep Practices: Parental Engagement, Education, and Behavior Change

Evidence Base for 2022 Updated Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment to Reduce the Risk of Sleep-Related Infant Deaths

Every year in the United States, approximately 3500 infants die of sleep-related infant deaths, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision [ICD-10] R95), ill-defined deaths (ICD-10 R99), and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed (ICD-10 W75). After a substantial decline in sleep-related deaths in the 1990s, the overall death rate attributable to sleep-related infant deaths have remained stagnant since 2000, and disparities persist. The triple risk model proposes that SIDS occurs when an infant with intrinsic vulnerability (often manifested by impaired arousal, cardiorespiratory, and/or autonomic responses) undergoes an exogenous trigger event (eg, exposure to an unsafe sleeping environment) during a critical developmental period. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a safe sleep environment to reduce the risk of all sleep-related deaths. This includes supine positioning; use of a firm, noninclined sleep surface; room sharing without bed sharing; and avoidance of soft bedding and overheating. Additional recommendations for SIDS risk reduction include human milk feeding; avoidance of exposure to nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, opioids, and illicit drugs; routine immunization; and use of a pacifier. New recommendations are presented regarding noninclined sleep surfaces, short-term emergency sleep locations, use of cardboard boxes as a sleep location, bed sharing, substance use, home cardiorespiratory monitors, and tummy time. In addition, additional information to assist parents, physicians, and nonphysician clinicians in assessing the risk of specific bed-sharing situations is included. The recommendations and strength of evidence for each recommendation are published in the accompanying policy statement, which is included in this issue.

Creating a safe sleep environment for babies: what are the practices performed by mothers?

Purpose

This study aims to determine the practices performed by mothers to create a safe sleep environment for their babies.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-sectional study was conducted at Family Health Centers (FHCs), the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey. The study sample consisted of 455 mothers who had 0–12-month-old babies. The data were collected via a questionnaire to ascertain the descriptive characteristics and means of creating a safe sleeping environment.

Findings

Mothers performed unsafe/risky practices as well as safe practices. Unsafe practices of mothers included 92.3% preferring soft mattresses, 87.0% placed a pillow under the baby's head, 17.8% preferred a prone sleep position for their baby, 16.9% covered the baby's face with a piece of thin cloth, 14.3% kept the sheet on the mattress loose, 6.8% of the mothers shared the same bed, 2.4% reported smoking in the environment where the baby slept.

Originality/value

Based on our findings, it is recommended that nurses should provide information on creating a safe sleep environment to mothers during FHC visits, and at-risk practices should be identified through home visits.

Feasibility and Acceptability of a Tailored Infant Safe Sleep Coaching Intervention for African American Families

Background: Approximately 3600 infants die suddenly and unexpectedly annually in the United States. Research suggests limitations of current behavioral interventions to reduce the risk for sleep-related deaths among African American families living in under-resourced neighborhoods. Guided by the theory of planned behavior and the socio-ecological model, the My Baby’s Sleep (MBS) intervention intends to reduce the risk for sleep-related infant deaths while addressing complex needs of African American families living in under-resourced neighborhoods. Objective: To assess feasibility and acceptability of MBS, a 7-month intervention that includes four home visits and multiple check-ins via phone and text message. Methods: This was a single-arm feasibility and acceptability study with quantitative and qualitive measures. African American families were recruited from community agencies that served an under-resourced metropolitan area. Results: Eight families (eight mothers, nine co-caregivers) completed the intervention. Families reported high acceptability of MBS content, process, and format, as evidenced by qualitative data and mean evaluation scores. Conclusion: MBS is feasible and acceptable among African American families living in under-resourced neighborhoods. These results suggest further investigation of MBS intervention efficacy in a large-scale randomized controlled trial.

Implementation of Safe Sleep Practice Recommendations for Infants in Inpatient Wards

Background

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is defined as the sudden unexpected death of an infant, even after conducting thorough investigations and autopsy. SIDS is related to several factors, such as baby’s position and presence of pillows, blankets and objects in the crib. The implementation of safe sleep recommendations in the inpatient setting is unknown and there is a scarcity of available data.

Methods

This was an observational, cross-sectional study that was conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. All infants less than one year of age were considered after fulfilling the inclusion criteria. A checklist was developed in alignment with the latest American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations and an an independent observer was trained on how to evaluate and record the various components of the checklist.

Results

One hundred and two patients were enrolled in this study. The mean age of participants was 18.85 weeks. Asleep infants were found to be mostly placed in their cribs (71.4%), on their back (81%). Among the sleeping infants, 46% of them were swaddled at the time of data collection. Blankets were present in 79.4% of the cases, and loose sheets in more than half of the cases. Pillows were seen in 42.2% of the beds. No bumper pads were present in any of the beds.

Conclusion

This observational study highlights the importance of increasing awareness about safe sleep practices. Not only is it important for ensuring patient safety during admissions but also to send an important message to caregivers through role-modeling. Further studies are required to examine the barriers to implementing recommended safe sleep practices both within institutions that care for infants as well as among parents and caregivers.

Supporting African American Mothers during Nurse Home Visits in Adopting Safe Sleep Practices

BACKGROUND

Nurses providing home visits were concerned that some mothers were not routinely using safe sleep practices for their newborns and infants.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to listen to how home visit nurses offer education to their African American clients about the safe to sleep guidelines during the prenatal and postpartum periods and discuss ways nurses could support mothers to be more successful in using safe sleep practices.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

A focus group was conducted with home visit nurses who partner with pregnant mothers and follow them through the first 2 years of their child's life. We asked the nurses to discuss how they offer information and education to their African American clients about safe sleep practices and what could be done to support adoption of the guidelines. A qualitative narrative approach was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

Seventeen home visit nurses participated in the focus group. We identified two overall themes with eight subthemes. The first theme focused on nurses' perceptions about challenges some mothers have in following the recommendations. The second theme included nurses' perspectives on how to better promote the safe sleep message and educating mothers within their cultural context.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Expectant and new mothers need advice and knowledge about the Safe to Sleep guidelines that provide ways to decrease risk of infant death. Nurses must be aware of their clients' culture and beliefs so they can offer support and information on infant safety within that context.