Livingston County, Michigan – Livingston County residents were reminded about safe ways of putting infants to sleep as local health officials shared some safe sleeping tips.
Health officials said sleeping with infants is not one of the safest thing to do. Nearly 100% of infant deaths in the area were related to sleep and happened in unsafe locations like a couch, chair, adult bed, or a swing, Livingston County deputy health officer Elaine Brown said.
In Michigan alone, there are 130 infant deaths recorded every year, mainly because of unsafe sleeping environments. About 80% of the cases happened when the infants were sleeping with another individual.
As an urgent care near me solution to address the issue, Governor Rick Snyder declared the month of September as the Infant Sleep Awareness Month within the state, urging parents to follow safe sleeping guidelines, while putting infants to sleep.
Safe sleeping tips include putting the baby in a crib on its back. However, the few seconds of putting the baby in the crib are very crucial, Brown said. A baby should be put to sleep alone, on its back, and in a bassinet or crib. This is the ABCs of putting babies to safe sleep, she added.
A collaborative effort by the Safe Kids Huron Valley, Department of Public Health, and the LACASA’s Child Abuse Prevention Council tend to promote awareness about safe sleeping practices. The CAP Council director Deanna Norris said they are providing workshops as an urgent care clinic to educate the students about the probable risks of unsafe sleeping practices.
Norris pointed out the importance of learning safe sleeping tips while individuals are still in their adolescent stage. By doing so, they will begin to understand necessary information since many adolescents nowadays are working as baby sitters.
Additionally, not only adolescents should need to learn these things, but also all individuals must give urgent care and attention towards the issue. Infants or babies are very delicate, and they need special methods and attention while handling or dealing with them. The same is true when it comes to their sleeping practices as parents or babysitters handle them.
Norris also emphasized that one out of five infant deaths occur while the infant is under somebody else’s care aside from the parent. Parents should provide urgent care clinics and rules if they opt for babysitters. Norris also added that parents alike could be careless while putting their babies to sleep. Thus, following the safe sleeping tips for babies before a parent falls asleep is the most important practice.
