Nearly 55 percent of infants nationwide are put to bed with soft blankets or covered by a comforter, even though such bedding raises the chances of suffocation or sudden infant death syndrome, federal researchers reported Monday.
Their
study, published in the journal Pediatrics, is the first to estimate
how many infants sleep with potentially hazardous quilts, bean bags,
blankets or pillows. Despite recommendations to avoid putting anything
but a baby in a crib, two-thirds of black and Latino parents still use
bedding that is both unnecessary and unsafe, the study also found.
“I
was startled a little bit by the number of people still using bedding
in the sleep area,” said Dr. Michael Goodstein, a neonatologist in York,
Pa., who serves on a task force on sleep-related infant deaths at the
American Academy of Pediatrics. “Sleeping face down on soft bedding
increases the risks of SIDS 21-fold.”
Among
the risk factors for SIDS, “bedding has fallen through the cracks,”
said Dr. Thomas G. Keens, the chairman of the California SIDS Advisory
Council. “This article is a wake-up call.”
The
new analysis looked at data gathered from 1993 to 2010 in the National
Infant Sleep Position Study, which surveyed a random sample of nearly
19,000 parents by telephone.
Use
of infant bedding declined roughly 23 percent annually from 1993 to
2000. In recent years, however, the declines have slowed or stalled
entirely.
From
2001 to 2010, use of inappropriate bedding for white and Hispanic
infants declined just 5 to 7 percent annually. There was no decline in
the use of such bedding for black infants.
Parents
in the new study were not asked their reasons for using bedding.
Previous research has found that they worry infants will be cold, or
that the crib mattress is too hard.
Sometimes parents misunderstand that a soft blanket should neither be used under an infant nor to cover one, said Dr. Rachel Moon, a pediatrician, and Dr. Fern Hauck, a family physician, in an editorial accompanying the new study.
“Parents
get a lot of mixed messages,” said Carrie Shapiro-Mendoza, the lead
author and a senior scientist in the division of reproductive health at
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “A relative will give
them a quilt or fluffy blanket that they may feel obligated to use, or
they look at magazines and see a baby sleeping with a pillow.”
In fact, the safest place for a baby to sleep is on his back in a crib or bassinet, never an adult bed or sofa.
The surface should be firm and covered by only a fitted sheet, no other
bedding. Properly sized sleep sacks are acceptable, because babies
rarely get tangled in them.
Many
well-intentioned gift givers purchase unsafe crib comforters and
ultrasoft blankets. “If you want to show people how much you care,
decorate the room,” Dr. Goodstein said.
COMMENTS