N.C. Back to Sleep Campaign
for SIDS Risk Reduction

News Update:
(October 18, 2011)

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released an updated policy statement on infant safe sleeping environments.  Recommendations state that breastfeeding and immunization protect babies against SIDS and that bumper pads should not be used.  The back sleeping position on a firm sleeping surface and no bed-sharing are also a few of the key messages included.  Other recommendations include:

• Always place your baby on his or her back for every sleep time.
• Always use a firm sleep surface. Car seats and other sitting devices are not recommended for routine sleep.
• The baby should sleep in the same room as the parents, but not in the same bed (room-sharing without bed-sharing).
• Keep soft objects or loose bedding out of the crib. This includes pillows, blankets, and bumper pads.
• Wedges and positioners should not be used.
• Pregnant woman should receive regular prenatal care.
• Don't smoke during pregnancy or after birth.
• Breastfeeding is recommended.
• Offer a pacifier at nap time and bedtime.
• Avoid covering the infant's head or overheating.
• Do not use home monitors or commercial devices marketed to reduce the risk of SIDS.
• Infants should receive all recommended vaccinations.
• Supervised, awake tummy time is recommended daily to facilitate development and minimize the occurrence of positional plagiocephaly (flat heads).

Click here for the news release and the policy statement.  AAP has also developed parent information for their website: www.healthychildren.org/safesleep

Overview

The N.C. Back to Sleep Campaign for SIDS Risk Reduction is a public education and awareness initiative designed to increase understanding about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and ways to reduce its risks.

SIDS is the third leading cause of infant deaths overall, but for infants ages 1-12 months of age, SIDS is the primary cause of death. Each year in North Carolina, approximately 100 families experience the tragedy of SIDS.

Since 1994, the N.C. Back to Sleep Campaign has informed families, childcare providers, health and social service providers and policy makers about this leading cause of infant death and about steps they can take to help protect infants.

Public/Private Partnerships

Medical and Public Health Collaborations

Since October 2004, the N.C. Back to Sleep Campaign has expanded outreach beyond childcare and communities to include the hospital settings and community-based organizations that work with new parents. Through a series of regional meetings and in-service education, a hospital pilot program began in 2006 to shed light on current practices and awareness of the American Academy of Pediatrics 2005 SIDS risk reduction and infant safe-sleep safety recommendations. Participants identified resources and potential partners to continue the initiative. Since 2007, the expanded hospital initiative, now called HOPES, has provided resources to more than 45 hospitals to evaluate and support their policies, practice and education regarding infant safe sleep.

This year, the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation will partner with 29 hospitals and community-based organizations across North Carolina to distribute safe sleep onesies and information to parents on babies born in these hospitals in October. In total, the project will place safe sleep information in the hands of more than 6,000 parents.

The Baby's Easy Safe Sleep Training (BESST) (link) is a two-hour workshop to train health and human services professionals how to promote infant safe sleep to families and caregivers. The training features a portable flipchart for conducting community education presentations across the state, especially in rural settings. It addresses everything from proper sleep positioning (placing baby on her back) to what to look for in a safe crib and the link between secondhand smoke and SIDS. BESST also teaches the safest way to tuck a blanket for baby's bedtime warmth and cautions against bed sharing. Training activities are interactive and address the issue of the health disparity in infant mortality, including SIDS. Since 2005, more than 500 professionals have been trained in BESST. The diverse group of trainers includes local health department employees, community educators, SIDS counselors, childcare providers, social workers, medical professionals, parents and others.  These trainers are working in their local communities to spread important messages to parents and caregivers about infant safe sleep.

Lastly, the N.C. Back to Sleep Campaign supports the work of the N.C. SIDS Program by providing technical assistance to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health and in-service training to SIDS counselors across the state.

National and International Affiliations

The N.C. Back to Sleep Campaign manager is an active member of leading national SIDS-related organizations including the Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs (ASIP) , Project Impact. and the First Candle/SIDS Alliance.

Business Partnerships

A key to the success of the N.C. Back to Sleep Campaign has been the variety of public/private partnerships developed in the past decade. These partnerships have ranged from a family-run diaper service sharing information with their customers and a variety of childcare facilities to the North Carolina Outdoor Advertising Association, the
North Carolina Pediatric Society and the
American Academy of Pediatrics.

Origin of the ITS-SIDS Project

In 2002, in response to a significant increase in SIDS deaths occurring in child care settings in the United States, the N.C. Back to Sleep Campaign launched the ITS-SIDS or Infant/Toddler Safe Sleep and SIDS Risk-Reduction in Childcare Project.

ITS-SIDS logo

Although the percentage of SIDS deaths in North Carolina's licensed childcare settings (7% of all SIDS deaths) remains lower than the national average, SIDS has accounted for two-thirds of North Carolina's child deaths in childcare settings since 1997, emphasizing the need to address infant sleep safety in childcare settings.

The ITS-SIDS Project, a collaboration between the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation and the N.C. Division of Child Development, is a train-the-trainer program. Effective May 1, 2004, the ITS-SIDS training is required for N.C. childcare providers who are licensed to care for infants 12 months of age or younger.

As a result of the ITS-SIDS training, childcare providers have implemented the required written safe sleep policies, and many have indicated that they will adopt the infant Back to Sleep positioning and safe sleep standards with their own families or will share the information with families, friends and others in their communities.

Despite significant progress, there is more to be done. SIDS-related educational gaps continue to exist for parents, for Spanish-speaking families, within institutions of higher learning such as schools of nursing and medical colleges and in early childhood education programs at universities and community colleges.

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Last updated: October 2011