Over half have items in crib that may up odds of sudden infant death syndrome
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Tara Haelle
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Dec. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Although soft bedding has been linked to an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), more than half of American parents continue to use such bedding for their sleeping babies, according to a new study.
Use of soft bedding among parents declined sharply from 1993 through 2000, but has mostly leveled off since the early 2000s, the study found. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended since 1996 that infants be placed in sleeping environments without any soft surfaces or objects that might trap air, the study noted.
"Soft bedding has been shown to increase the risk of SIDS. Soft objects and loose bedding -- such as thick blankets, quilts and pillows -- can obstruct an infant's airway and impose suffocation risk," said lead author Carrie Shapiro-Mendoza, a senior scientist in the Maternal and Infant Health Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About 16 babies per 100,000 died from accidental suffocation during sleep and 53 per 100,000 died from SIDS in 2010, according to background information in the study.
The researchers analyzed the results of the National Infant Sleep Position survey. This poll was conducted by phone annually between 1993 and 2010. Over that time, nearly 19,000 parents of children younger than 8 months answered questions about their baby's sleep environment. Most respondents were white mothers, nearly half had a college education, and about half had a previous child, according to the study.
The researchers found that the use of bedding for infants declined from an average of 86 percent between 1993 and 1995 to an average of 55 percent between 2008 and 2010. Most of that decline, however, occurred before 2000.
The findings were reported online Dec. 1 in Pediatrics.
The most common use of bedding occurred among teen mothers, more than 80 percent of whom used bedding. Not having a college education and younger mothers in general were also linked to more frequent use of bedding. Minority mothers were more likely than white mothers to use soft bedding, the study reported.
source : Babies Still Sleeping With Soft Bedding Despite SIDS Risk: CDC
