The Dangers Of Unsafe Sleep

States in 1991, in an effort to inform parents that they should place their infant on their back when sleeping. Many parents, mainly among minority families, are still unaware of this prevention step. Other preventive measures include: breast feeding, not smoking during and after pregnancies, and parents should not to sleep with their infants.

Each parent has their own unique way of taking care of their child. However, each parenting style usually reflects those of the culture surrounding them. Throughout the world, many societies have different ways they care for their infants. These differences seem to be mainly due to cultural values. Add more interest. In the article “Cultural Variation in Infants’ Sleeping Arrangements: Questions of Independence” written by Morelli, Rogoff, Oppenheim, and Goldsmith, the different infant care practices, such as sleeping arrangement and bedtime routines, done by Mayan mothers and U.S. mothers were discussed. This study was not intended to decide which parenting style is the right one, but rather to understand the differences surrounding infant care in both cultures.

For as long as we can remember we are always told to never sleep with your baby that you could suffocate them by rolling over on them or what not. In a study by Davies, he found that prior to the 1700's co-sleeping was a normal thing around the world. It was not until the 1800's when the western society moved away from co-sleeping to an independent sleeping arrangement claiming the child will be too attached and have security problems; you will never get the child to sleep in their own bed; the child will not learn independence; or, the child could suffocate in various ways. Well, I agree

It is every parents’ worst fear to wake up one morning to find that their child has passed away without warning. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the common name used today is also referred to as Crib Death, which is an unexplained death occurring during sleep of a seemingly healthy baby less than a year old (mayo clinic). Even though there are some ways to prevent SIDS, there is no guarantee that a child is a hundred percent safe. Some ways to prevent SIDS can be done with parental knowledge of how SIDS occurs. Even though the baby has nothing medically wrong, it could be that the parents did something unintentionally by accident or are simply uniformed.

Infant co-sleeping is a highly controversial topic of debate in our society. There are many valid reasons as to why infant co-sleeping is an appropriate practice based upon many different things, some to include research, culture and personal opinion. And there are just as many reasons to recede that claim and support that co-sleeping is detrimental to the health and well-being of an infant. Before the following research, as outlined in this paper, my personal opinion was based on the fact that I practiced co-sleeping with my son many years ago, back when co-sleeping was not such an issue. I felt comfortable with co-sleeping and supported co-sleeping. The reasoning behind this could have been the age factor as a teen mother, my cultural beliefs and also the comfort of knowing my child was close and I could access him easily if needed. As I learned more about co-sleeping and began my work in the field of ECE, I was encouraged to support the “Back to Sleep” movement and to share the cons of co-sleeping with the families I worked with based upon the beliefs of my employer. The following articles will highlight the many pros and cons of infant co-sleeping

Dr. James McKenna of Notre Dame University’s Mother Baby Sleep Laboratory said “the bodies of women and their babies are more in sync when they sleep together, which helps the baby sleep better. Babies are designed to feel the presence of their parents. It is only a very recent and very strange cultural innovation that babies would be sleeping apart from their mothers. It is very much a departure from the normal human pattern.” (McKenna, et al., 1994)

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden unexplained death of an infant aged one or younger that continues to remain a mystery even after a thorough investigation is done, which includes an examination of the scene along with an autopsy. SIDS was first recognized in the United States in the 1960s, with over 7,000 infants dying suddenly and unexpectedly each year. Researchers discovered that placing babies to sleep on their back decreased this risk, as babies that were put to sleep on their side tended to roll onto their stomach, causing them to smother. The Back to Sleep Campaign was launched in 1994; it played a significant role in decreasing the SIDS rates amongst all populations. However, certain populations continue to experience

Many of the benefits of co-sleeping stem from the interactions that can readily happen within the open, close proximity environment co-sleeping enables. One of these benefits is breast feeding, which can influence many other aspects of infant health and behavior. Breast feeding is much easier to perform when co-sleeping, as the infant is nearer to the parent and the position already accommodates for mother and baby’s comfort. Breast feeding and co-sleeping a cyclical relationship, as each promotes the other. A mother that co-sleeps will find herself breast sleeping more throughout the night and this nightly breast feeding will facilitate more co-sleeping

Furthermore, the education provided helped them to understand by each illustration was a reflection of the Safe to Sleep imitative. Modeling safe sleep not only benefited infants during hospitalization but benefited them after their discharge home. Staff were to model safe sleep by placing all infants in cribs supine, on a flat surface, in a sleep sack without a hat, and no addition items in their beds except a pacifier and bulb syringe.

New born babies can spend up to 50% of their day sleeping, doctors believe that it provides the brain with a work out that offers much stimulation to infants. This sleep time is crucial for a proper brain development. It also provides the body with much needed relaxation and recuperation. Research shows that having shorter sleep durations can be associated with lower cognitive performance, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and impaired neurological development.

In spite of a major decline in the incidences of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome since the American Academy of Pediatrics published its recommendation in 1992 that infants should be placed on their back for sleeping this decline has stopped and left us at a plateau. Even though this was released many families are still butting babies on their bellies to sleep. Because of that, it has become increasingly important to address the risk that puts infants at greater risk for SIDS. In this paper of the changeable and non-changeable risk factors of SIDS will be addressed. The recommendations described in this paper include placing infants on a back position to sleep, use of a firm sleep surface and the need for routinely scheduled immunization.

Everyone, at some point in life, has experienced the terror of waking up from a disconcerting dream and longing for the comfort that only a mother can provide. Imagine there is an infant, new to the world and confused about everything around him, and how this child must feel when awakening with this uneasy feeling. Who knows how long it could take for the child’s mother to wake and come to his aid and how long that will feel to the newborn. Now imagine that the baby is right next to his mother, and just as he begins to stir, this warm familiar hand brings solace and familiarity with just a slight touch, quieting the child before there is any disturbance. This situation is one of the many positive ways that co-sleeping can affect a family. Co-sleeping is a hypernym of sleeping arrangements defined by Wendy Goldberg as “the presence of a caregiver who sleeps within close enough proximity of the infant to permit the exchange of at least two sensory stimuli” (par. 8). Goldberg is a psychology professor at the University of California, with specializations in infant sleep and transition into parenthood, among other things. While the medical community is at odds on the topic of co-sleeping, both sides acknowledge the risks and benefits of the other; however, the belief that co-sleeping is the superior arrangement for both baby and parent definitely has more corroborative evidence than the inadequate data used in advocating for solitary sleeping.

When addressing sleep positioning, one also needs to consider the factors that influence parental decisions and preferences regarding sleep positioning for their infant. In 2017, the Pediatric Nursing Journal included an article titled ‘Factors Associated with Parental Compliance with Supine Infant Sleep’ (Zundo, Richards, Ahmed, & Codington, 2017).  The article includes a compilation of studies that address the research on different factors and

Sleep machines for infants are a popular choice for parents who want to ensure their infants aren't disturbed by loud noises while they sleep.

     Finally, sleep is lost and never will be regained. During the first year of a baby’s life, parents, especially mothers, lose 700 or more hours of sleep. That is a lot. No wonder parents look like a walking zombie. When babies do sleep through the night, parents still wake up to check on them to make sure that they are comfortable and everything is all right. Unfortunately, babies aren’t the only cause for loss of sleep. Teenagers are to. They go out and stay