FENTON, Mo. – The Safe Sleep Program at the Family Birth inside SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Fenton teaches new parents how to reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The Safe Sleep Program provides education for parents, caregivers, and community partners, and includes putting a baby to sleep face up, alone, and in a crib that will reduce the chance of death caused by unsafe sleep practices.
“What we learn is that the collaboration between the cribs for kids, the doctors and nurses and educators, we want to bring the information to our parents, grandparents, and the community, and first responders to help teach how to keep our babies safe,” said Sue Simpson, an RN at SSM Health St. Clare Hospital. “How to create a safe sleep environment. We are working to decrease the incidents of SIDS and other sleep-related deaths.
“Things are different. Now we have learned, from what we were told in the last two decades, on why our little ones are suffocating. Our goal is to help the parents and caregivers create the safe sleep environment.”
Simpson says they follow the ABCs of safe sleeping:
- Sleep Alone
- On their Back
- In their Crib.
Simpson says bumper pads should not be used and the baby should be swaddled in a tight-fitting sheet, there should be nothing else in the crib. She says the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the baby should sleep in their ventilated crib or pack-and-play for a minimum of six months. Sue says the goal is to keep the baby’s nasal passage clear, as infants only use their nose to breathe for the first six months of life.
To learn more about the Family Birth at St. Clare Hospital in Fenton, click here.
The SSM Health Medical Minute airs Wednesdays on News 11 at 7 p.m. and FOX 2 News at 9 p.m.
