NOTEWORTHY WEDNESDAY!
Baby’s sleeping environment and the importance of it cannot in my opinion be overemphasized!
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a frightening thought to anyone especially to the parents of infants.
A study in the Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine has reported the use of a ceiling fan in a baby’s room was associated with a reduced risk of SIDS.
- Fan use during sleep was associated with a 72% reduction in SIDS
- fan use in warmer room temperatures was associated with a greater reduction in SIDS risk compared with cooler room temperatures
- the reduction associated with fan use was greater in infants placed in the prone or side sleep position vs supine
- Fan use was associated with a greater reduction in SIDS risk in infants who shared a bed with an individual other than their parents vs with a parent
- Finally, fan use was associated with reduced SIDS risk in infants not using pacifiers but not in pacifier users
Fan use may be an effective intervention for further decreasing SIDS risk in infants in adverse sleep environments.
This research was out of Kaiser Permanente based in Oakland, CA and is an important finding as the cause of SIDS remains unknown. It still is the leading cause of death in infants from one month to one year. The actual number of cases may be under-reported as these deaths are sometimes attributed to other causes.
Other preventative measures are to have:
- a firm crib mattress
- no cloth crib bumpers,
- no soft toys or pillows in the crib.
References: