When we find out that we are expecting a baby, we tend to read up on as much information as we can. While research is always suggesting new information and insights, there are a few basic practices that have held true all these years – and putting Baby to sleep on their back is one of them.
Indeed, research and leading experts in the field have consistently reiterated that putting an infant to sleep on their back is the best way to avoid Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
According to a new study, however, many mums are not following the established practice – and researchers are now concerned.
The revelation came to light in a US study carried out as part of a Safe to Sleep campaign, and published in the medical journal Paediatrics.
In the study, carried out across 3,297 mothers, it emerged that just 43.7 percent of mothers who intended to put their baby to sleep on their back were actually following through and doing it.
When it came right down to it, just over 77 percent of respondents admitted to usually – but not always – putting their babies to sleep on their backs.
Given how experts from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been urging parents to follow this protocol, to ensure their little ones’ safety, the statistics are more than a little worrying.
The CDC has previously recommended that as well as being placed on their backs, babies should initially be put to sleep in the same room as their parent/s, with tightly-fitted sheets.
Commenting on the research, co-author Dr Eve Colson said: “What was new and hadn’t been explored before, was this idea of what people intended to do versus what they actually do.
“What we found was that people intended to put their baby on their back but didn’t always do that.”
So, what is holding these parents back from following the CDC’s guidelines? According to the research, two things: fear that the baby may choke and that the back position is uncomfortable.
The study results were published alongside a set of recommendations for parents. In it, experts advised parents to have open conversations on the sleep safety protocols, with both their healthcare advisors and their families.
