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Will you swaddle your baby? The importance of safe sleep.

Charlotte Peterson

Charlotte Peterson

15th April 2013 

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, is a horrible reality with no known cause, and many hypotheses. It may be caused by one or many factors, but the result of SIDS is the death of a much loved child.

One recent suggestion is that the practice of “swaddling” a baby, wrapping them tightly with a blanket, may put a child at risk, causing some states to either discourage or ban swaddling in child care centers. 

While this has neither been proved nor disproved, it brings attention to the need for safe sleep practices, and research on the best standards to provide safety for sleeping infants. 

For further reading on this subject, links are provided below.

• http://nrckids.org/SPINOFF/index.html
  
• http://www.healthychildcare.org/sids.html
  
• http://www.parents.com/blogs/goodyblog/2013/03/a-ban-on-swaddling/
  
• http://www.naccrra.org/sites/default/files/default_site_pages/2013/safe_sleep_practices_ca_health_and_safety_work_groupjan2013.pdf
  
• http://www.pascan.org/pdf/Swaddling_Guide.pdf
  
• https://www.nichd.nih.gov/SIDS/Pages/sids.aspx
  

For training related to this subject:
Shaken Baby Syndrome and Sudden Infant Death (1 hour / .1 CEU)