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SIDS

Pacifiers May Reduce Every Parent’s Worst Nightmare

By Tanya Kenevich

Having a baby can be the most wonderful thing that a person can experience. There is so much brimming potential and breath in the new little life that has been created, and a parent will do anything to protect the life that has been brought into this world. Unfortunately, no matter how hard a parent tries to keep their baby safe, that life can sometimes be taken away in an instant, without any warning or explanation.

Even though SIDS is quite rare, it is the leading cause of death among infants between one and 12 months of age, according to WebMD.com. Even after autopsy and examination, the cause of death is still unclear. According to an analysis by Dr. Fern R. Hauck, MD, SIDS has gone down from 1.37 per 1000 live births to 0.57 infants per 1000 live births in 2002, but the disease is still twisted in mystery and parental concern. Even with the drop of SIDS-related deaths in past years, it still kills about 2,500 infants a year.

In an increasing number of data, pacifier use is shown to be associated with reducing the risk of SIDS, according to Dr. Hauck’s research. There has been a 90 percent reduced risk of SIDS than with a control group of infants without pacifiers, according to a recent California study. It is recommended infants suck on a pacifier before sleep, but not to reinsert the pacifier back into the mouth when the infant is already asleep. Mostly importantly, anything you do must be told to the babysitter or childcare provider, so they know the correct way to deal with these issues.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a controversial and mysterious illness that ends in the abrupt and unexpected death of a child under one year of age. SIDS has been called “crib death” in the past, although the crib itself has nothing to do with the infant’s death, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

“There are other [factors] that affect it, and we still don’t know [all of them],” said Dr. Anthony Lamantia, MD, of the Allergy & Pediatrics Association.

Recently, SIDS has been linked to the way infants sleep, as well as surrounding pillows and blankets in the crib, smoking, young maternal age, a baby of male gender, and a lack of prenatal care. There are also higher rates of SIDS found in both black and Native American children. Although all of these are risks, even complete avoidance doesn’t necessarily stop SIDS from happening.

“The people who do research on it think it’s multi-factorial,” said Dr. Lamantia. “The statistics are overwhelming.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), infants should be encouraged to sleep on their backs. However, positional plagiocephaly (a flattened back of the head) can occur, so it is recommended to let an infant have back time when asleep, and stomach time when the baby is awake and alert. “Tummy time,” when the baby is playing, is important for developing brain functions and strong muscles, so it can’t be avoided completely.

Many parents also love to coddle their new baby and take the little bundle into their own bed for a restful night, but it is not recommended, according to the AAP. A fussy baby can be kept in the bed for calming purposes, but when the parents are ready to sleep themselves, the infant should be brought back to his or her standard crib for the night. There is evidence that having the crib in the parents’ room reduces the risk of SIDS, according to the AAP, but the child should sleep in a separate bed altogether.

However, some parents still let their child sleep in their bed and have no problem with it. Humanity Infant and Herbal, a Maine-based Web site, sells different products for infants and parents, including the Humanity Bed, a blanket-like contraption that stops a child from rolling off the bed, but enables a parent to sleep next to the child. The Humanity Bed covers the bed like a sheet and has been sold in every state, as well as out of the country. Doctors have approved it, and no Humanity Bed has been reported to cause SIDS or any other related condition.

Hugh Fennell runs the company with his wife, Cheri, the inventor of the Humanity Bed. The parents of six children themselves, they are pleased with their product and its efficiency.

“The design just seemed really easy to me, and it seemed like a good idea,” said Hugh Fennell.

With the new information from the AAP on how infants should not be sleeping in a separate room from their parents, customer response has been better than ever.

“[The customers] say they can’t live without it,” Fennell said.

Tanya Kenevich is a freelance writer for Curious Parents.