Every other day in Florida, a baby dies from suffocation while sleeping unsafely.

All of these deaths could have been prevented. Don’t risk it! Learn the facts and tips to sleep babies safely — every night and every nap.

Sleep Baby Safely Tip

FOLLOW SAFE SLEEP ABCs:
ALONE, BACK, CRIB

Always put babies to sleep alone on their back in an empty crib, bassinet, or Pack ’n Play.
Remove all items from the crib (i.e. blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, and bumper pads) – use only a firm mattress and a tight-fitting sheet.
Use a one-piece sleeper or sleep sack to keep your baby warm.

Sleep Baby Safely Tip

Bring a crib into the parent’s room for a baby’s first year — room sharing keeps the baby close without the risks.
Never put a baby to sleep on soft surfaces, such as adult beds, couches, futons, recliners, or air mattresses.

Sleep Baby Safely Tip

Set an alarm and always return a baby to crib after feeding.
Breastfeed if possible — it’s best for baby’s protection.
Do not smoke or allow others to smoke around a baby, and avoid the misuse of alcohol or drugs.

Suffocation from unsafe sleep is the No. 1 cause of preventable child death for children under age 18 — in Florida and across the United States.
On average in Florida, the number of babies suffocating while sleeping unsafely equals more than 10 empty kindergarten classrooms!
Parents want to do what is best — but safe-sleep guidance is not always clear or consistent.

Two-thirds of infant sleep-related deaths happened when parents shared a bed with their baby (co-sleeping).
Infants are 40 times more likely to die in adult beds than in their own cribs.
Soft surfaces, such as couches, futons, recliners, and air mattresses, also pose suffocation risks.

Many Florida medical examiners have not determined a cause of death as SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) in decades.
SIDS denotes the cause of death is unknown. However, when a healthy baby dies due to unsafe sleep, we do know the cause of death: it’s asphyxiation or suffocation.
Knowing this fact, everyone can protect babies from suffocation by always laying them down to sleep safely.

Some parents worry that babies will choke when on their back but their airway anatomy and gag reflex prevent choking.
When babies sleep on their back, the trachea (windpipe) lies on top of the esophagus, so gravity stops spit-up from getting into the windpipe.
Babies who sleep on their back are less likely to choke and less likely to have their airway (breathing) blocked.

Sleep-related suffocation deaths generally happen in a baby’s first year – most within the first eight months.
At birth, babies have heavy heads and weak neck muscles; this makes it difficult for them to lift their heads to breathe freely if their airway is blocked.
While babies develop differently, most can lift their heads at 4 months old – and by 5 or 6 months, they have mastered head control and can roll over in both directions thanks to stronger neck and arm muscles.

As more information becomes available, we must change old practices and beliefs to keep babies safe while sleeping.
We changed our habits about car seats; today, they are proven lifesavers, and most parents wouldn’t risk driving a baby without one — even if they’ve never had an accident.
Using this same logic, let’s make safe sleep for infants as universally practiced as using car seats.