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REMEMBER
SHARE A ROOM, NOT A
BED
Recently there have been many news reports of child deaths
as a result of unsafe sleep, such as adults sleeping with
children on adult beds or couches and children placed in
unsafe cribs. Given the increasing number of unsafe sleeping
deaths, the main content in this issue focuses on sleep
information.
RECALL
ALERT
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is expanding
a recall of Jardine wooden cribs. Consumers should
stop using the recalled cribs and contact
Jardine for a full credit. View CPSC recall
notice.
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Investigation and Prosecution of Child Fatalities
and Physical Abuse
June 1-5
National Harbor,
Maryland
Learn more.
Wisconsin
Public Health Association Annual Conference
July
7-9
Appleton, Wisconsin
Learn
more.
Child Death Review
Summit
October 8-9
Kimberly, Wisconsin
E-mail Abby
Collier. | |
DATA AND
EVALUATION
In a 2009 study conducted by the University of
Pittsburgh, 25 parents discussed reasons why they
decided to bed share. The five common themes that
emerged from the focus groups were:
• Better
sleep
• Tradition
• Child
safety
• Convenience
• Emotional
needs
The study participants continued to bed share even
when discouraged by medical professionals. However,
results from this study demonstrated that some families
were willing to room share instead of bed share, once
educated about the risk. View the entire study for more
information on parental perspectives and providing
family-centered care while educating families on risky
behaviors. | | |
FUNDING
Funding is available for women's mental
health during pregnancy and postpartum from the National
Institute on Child Health and Human Development. Learn
more. | | |
LEGISLATION
On April 28 a House resolution (H. Res. 376) was
introduced designating 2009 as "The Year of the Safe
Child." The purpose of the resolution is to raise
awareness and encourage the prevention of unintentional
injuries among children. In keeping with this goal,
Wisconsin has introduced a number of bills to keep kids
safe.
SB-141 would require certain
vehicles transporting children to and from a child care
provider, have child safety alarms installed. This
legislation would reduce the incidence of hyper and
hypothermia when children are forgotten in vehicles.
SB-162 would require children
age 12 and younger to wear a life jacket (personal
floatation device) while on a boat. Wisconsin is one of
only two states that does not require this population to
wear a life jacket while on a
boat. | | |
PROGRAMS AND BEST
PRACTICES
A caregiver friendly way to teach families about safe
sleep is to follow the ABCs. This initiative was
developed by the Baltimore City Health Department in
partnership with First Candle in order to teach
parents about safe sleep for infants. To follow the ABCs
of safe sleep, babies younger than age 1 should
always:
- Sleep ALONE.
- On their BACK.
- In a CRIB.
Talking about where babies should sleep can be
confusing. Several terms exist related to sleeping
environments and infants. The terminology listed below
are the most current and accurate terms available:
- Bed sharing-caregiver sleeping in an adult bed
with an infant or child.
- Co-bedding-caregiver sleeping in an adult bed with
an infant or child.
- Room sharing-caregiver and child sleeping in the
same room, but on separate sleep surfaces.
- Co-sleeping-caregiver and infant sleeping together
on the same sleep surface (e.g., couch, chair, or
bed).
- Safe sleep environment-a crib with a single, well
fitting mattress. The crib should not have any
blankets, toys or bumpers. Learn more.
When talking with caregivers it is important to use
the terms consistently. We suggest using the terms bed
sharing and room sharing exclusively to reduce
confusion. | | |
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SUCCESS
STORIES
Congratulations to Jill Paradowski and the City of
Milwaukee Health Department for bringing public
attention to the risks of co-bedding. Jill presented
safe sleep information to the public via several news
spots. Watch Jill's demonstration of safe sleep
basics on youtube. Thank you for bringing an
important topic to the attention of the
media!
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