The Safe Sleep Question
(July 2016) In my antenatal breastfeeding sessions one of the most common subjects brought up independently is that of safe sleeping and the avoidance of cot death, also known as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). There is invariably thinly disguised fear evident in the room combined with, in my experience, a desire to talk about it but avoid it at the same time. After all, talking about the potential death of a child makes for uncomfortable discussion. Currently in the UK there are approximately 288 unexplained infant deaths per year. This includes babies 0-12 months though a small percentage of the total (6.6%) were between 12 and 24 months. Since the launch of a safety campaign (Back to Sleep) in 1991, the incidence of cot death has reduced by 65%. Recommendations include primarily putting the baby to sleep on their back, in the same room as the parents for the first 6 months of life with their feet to the bottom of the bed. Further research has added to the recommendation...