Ideal Sleeping Positions of Babies in the Bassinets

!±8± Ideal Sleeping Positions of Babies in the Bassinets

Bassinets are used for sleeping by newborns and young infants until they are about 4-6 months of age. Once babies are able to roll over by themselves, at three or four months of age, it is no longer safe for the baby to be left in a bassinet as they could tip themselves out, so they must use a full size crib. It is a common concern for the mother to know how to safely lay the baby down in the bassinet for sleep. In the past American pediatricians advised the mothers to put the baby on their stomachs while putting them to sleep. In the light of a number of studies conducted in the early 1990s, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) changed its recommendation to instruct new parents to place babies to sleep on their backs or sides in 1992.

In 1994, the U.S. government started a campaign, called the "Back to Sleep" campaign, to encourage back sleeping, and current recommendations call for back sleeping only. The previous notion that sleeping on the stomach will protect the babies in-case they vomit stomach contents and aspirate into lung causing suffocation, was found to be not safe, instead prone sleeping position has been found to be associated with increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Since the recommendation of back sleeping was introduced by AAP in 1992, the incidence of SIDS has gone down more than 40% in USA. The "Back to Sleep" campaign has helped to increase the number of babies being put to sleep on their backs from 25 percent to 70 percent from 1993 to 2007. Among African-Americans and Hispanics, the rates of back-sleeping are lower and the rates of SIDS is higher than the national averages, more education efforts are needed to educate baby caregivers about safe baby sleeping positions.

National Institute of Health sponsored studies conducted by pediatricians have shown that healthy babies are not at increased risk of vomiting and aspirating when put to sleep on their back unless they have other medical problems. Some parents are concerned that when babies roll over on to their stomach, they may suffocate. The danger of SIDS is highest before 4 months of age, when babies cannot roll over by themselves. Pediatricians generally assure new parents that rolling over onto the stomach is not a major concern, since a baby who can roll over can also push himself out of an unsafe position where he might suffocate.

Ideal Sleeping Positions of Babies in the Bassinets

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Dangers of Soft Sleeping Surfaces and of Placing Newborns and Infants on Their Stomachs

!±8± Dangers of Soft Sleeping Surfaces and of Placing Newborns and Infants on Their Stomachs

While sleeping on a soft surface, an infant may turn over on his/her side or on the stomach obstructing the free flow of air around his or her nose. This will make the infant breathe exhaled air containing a higher concentration of carbon dioxide. There is poor air circulation around the baby's face because of close proximity to the soft sleeping surface. The normal healthy baby's brain would respond to this situation with a protective cough or moving the head to a safer position to obtain better airflow.

Babies at risk for SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) do not respond to this stress due to an abnormality in their developing brain stem, a part of the brain located towards the back of the brain, which contains the centers that regulate breathing and many other vital functions. This abnormality is not enough to cause death in and of itself, however, it puts these babies at higher risk for possible sudden death.

These babies overcome this weakness in their central nervous system if they survive till they are more than a year old. Other recognized risk factors include the rapid rate of growth of babies in the first six months of life, which appears to make them vulnerable to poor response to stress, like re-breathing of carbon dioxide. Combination of this defect in the brain stem and the rapid growth period in the first six months appears to make these babies unable to cope with environmental stress such as re-breathing of carbon dioxide, second hand smoke, overheating or a cold or virus infection, all of which have been noted to contribute to SIDS in babies at risk.

Knowledge is not complete in the understanding of all situations in SIDS. Continued research is needed. At present it is not possible to detect those babies who has the brain stem defect. So all the babies need to be provided with precautionary measures until the risk period is over. Mothers of newborns and infants should follow the current recommendations of firm sleeping surfaces in a safety-approved crib for their babies and avoid soft sleeping surfaces, pillows and loose blankets and all other objects in the sleeping area which may make the baby re-breath carbon dioxide.

You can get more information on these topics, discussed in very simple and understandable language, in the web site of the First Candle organization. Please visit their website for more detailed information if you are a parent or caregiver of an infant.

Dangers of Soft Sleeping Surfaces and of Placing Newborns and Infants on Their Stomachs

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