Too many parents still ignore dangers of baby blankets

Sudden infant death syndrome is a parent's worst nightmare and often one that's preventable. However, too many U.S. infants still sleep with blankets, pillows or other unsafe bedding that may lead to suffocation or sudden death, despite guidelines recommending against the practice. That's according to researchers who say 17 years of national data show parents need to be better informed.

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed annual telephone surveys involving a total of nearly 20,000 parents. Back in 1993, almost 7 out of 8 parents used blankets or other soft bedding for their infants; the number dropped sharply over the years but by 2010, more than half still were doing so. The practice was most common among young mothers, blacks and Hispanics. The study was published Monday in Pediatrics.

Accidental suffocation in bed, though uncommon, is the leading cause of injury-related deaths in infants. While the number of deaths from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) has declined in recent years, it still totaled about 2,000 in 2010.

For more than a decade, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the NIH and safety experts have warned parents against using soft bedding in infants' cribs, either over or under the baby. That includes blankets, quilts, cushiony crib bumpers, pillows and soft toys.

That doesn't mean letting babies freeze; experts recommend safe sleepwear including one-piece sleepers, and keeping the room at a comfortable temperature

Another study published in July in the journal Pediatrics, looked at the sleep-related factors linked to sudden infant death. The researchers found SIDS involving newborns up to three months old often was a result of sharing a bed with a parent, also known as co-sleeping. Deaths among slightly older infants ages 3 to 12 months was often related to the crib environment, such as objects that rolled into the sleeping area or unsafe bedding which caused suffocation.

The decline in SIDS deaths is often attributed to the government's "Back to Sleep" campaign emphasizing the importance of placing babies to sleep on their backs, not stomachs.

"Rates of SIDS have dropped more than 50 percent, so really just getting rid of that one risk factor has really made a huge impact," medical contributor Dr. Holly Phillips said in July on "CBS This Morning."

To encompass other sleep-related risks, including suffocation, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and its partners renamed the effort the "Safe to Sleep" campaign in 2012. Safe practices include having babies sleep alone in cribs or bassinets, not putting them to sleep on couches, water beds or sheepskin that could smother a young infant.

These infant deaths "are tragic and they're just not necessary," said study co-author Marian Willinger, a SIDS expert at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

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Breastfeeding Tips!

Are there any foods I should avoid while breastfeeding

Some nursing moms find they can eat whatever they like. While it's true that some strongly flavored foods may change the taste of your milk, most babies seem to enjoy a variety of breast milk flavors! Generally, the dominant flavors of your diet — whether soy sauce or chili peppers — were in your amniotic fluid during pregnancy. Fetuses swallow a fair amount of amniotic fluid before birth, so when they taste those flavors again in their mother's breast milk, they're already accustomed to them.

 

10 tips for breastfeeding success

Watch a lactation consultant help a new mom learn how to breastfeed her baby.

Occasionally a baby will be fussy at the breast or gassy after you eat a particular food. If you notice a pattern, avoid that food for a few days. To test whether that food really was the cause, reintroduce it once and see if there's an effect. Mothers report that babies most often object to chocolate; spices (cinnamon, garlic, curry, chili pepper); citrus fruits and their juices, like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit; strawberries; kiwifruit; pineapple; the gassy veggies (onion, cabbage, garlic, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, and peppers); and fruits with a laxative effect, such as cherries and prunes.
A daily cup or two of coffee is fine, but too much caffeine can interfere with your baby's sleep or make him fussy. Remember that caffeine is also found in some sodas, teas, and over-the-counter medicines.
It's also okay to have an occasional alcoholic drink. But having more than one drink increases your blood alcohol level to the point that the alcohol gets into your milk. If you plan on having more than one drink at a time, wait two hours per drink before resuming nursing (or nurse, then have your glass of wine). There's no need to pump and dump unless your breasts are full and it's still not time to feed your baby. Moderate or heavy drinking is definitely not recommended while breastfeeding. An old wive's tale suggests that dark beer increases milk production, but recent studies suggest this is not true and that alcohol, in fact, reduces milk production.
If your baby has allergy symptoms (such as eczema, fussiness, congestion, or diarrhea), they may be caused by something he's in regular contact with, such as soap, mildew, or foods he's eating himself. Or he may be reacting to foods you eat that get into his system via your breast milk. It usually requires a bit of detective work to figure out exactly what's causing the sensitivity.
If you think that something you're eating is causing problems for your baby, it's usually something you've eaten two to six hours before feeding. The most common culprits include cows' milk products, followed by soy, wheat, egg, nuts, and corn or corn syrup.
Talk to your baby's doctor before you omit any foods from your diet. If avoiding a food could cause a nutritional imbalance (for example, if you eliminate all dairy products), you may need to see a nutritionist for advice on substituting other foods or taking nutritional supplements. Continue taking your prenatal vitamin as long as your baby's fully breastfed to cover any gaps in your own diet.

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