Safe Sleep

Do you know the ABC’s of safe sleep?

A

A is for Alone. Babies should sleep alone, in a separate space, every time they go to sleep (nap and bed time). Put a crib or bassinet in your bedroom, so your baby can be close to you, but still have his or her own safe place to sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends sharing a room with your baby for 6 months to a year, if possible, but NEVER share a bed.

B

B is for Back. It’s safest to put babies to sleep on their backs. If babies are laid down on their tummies or sides, it increases the risk of suffocation. Parents may wonder: “What if my baby spits up while she’s on her back?” The answer: Her gag reflex is strong enough to avoid choking. Research shows placing babies on their backs to sleep is the safest position.

C

C is for Crib. Babies should always sleep in an empty crib (or bassinet or pack-and-play). Your baby’s sleep space should be completely clear – remove loose blankets, bedding, crib bumpers, stuffed animals, toys, etc. Never fall asleep with your baby on the sofa or chair.

Need Resources for a Crib in the Kansas City Metro?
¿Necesita recursos para una cuna en el área metropolitana de Kansas City?

Kansas
• Safe Kids Johnson County; Johnson County Department of Health and Environment – Contact Katie Schattie at 913-477-8312, katie.schatte@jocogov.org
• Project Eagle Connections – Call 913-321-9999, email connections@kumc.edu or submit Interest Form

Missouri
• Infant Loss Resources – Contact Leonae DelaTorre at 1-800-421-3511, leonae@infantlossresources.org
• Juneteenth KC – Submit program application
• Children’s Mercy Safe Sleep Safe Babies

Kansas City Healthy Start Initiative
Must be pregnant and live in listed zip codes/Debe estar embarazada y vivir en los códigos postales enumerados.

KS 66101, 66102, 66104, 66106, 66111, 66112
MO 64124, 64127, 64130, 64132, 64133, 64138

APPLY HERE

Haga clic aquí para aplicar

Are you outside of the KC Metro or do you not qualify for the listed programs? You can search Cribs for Kids partners based off your zip OR try reaching out to the social worker at your birthing hospital or local churches in your neighborhood.

¿Está fuera del área metropolitana de Kansas City o no califica para los programas enumerados? Puede buscar socios de Cribs for Kids con su código postal o comunicarse con la trabajadora social en su hospital de maternidad o con las iglesias locales de su vecindario.

What does safe sleep look like for baby?

Nurture KC released a safe sleep video in partnership with Charlie’s House featuring a baby from our Healthy Start Program and one of our Community Health Workers, Ahkeya Howard.

Fathers

Dads today spend triple the amount of time caring for their children than dads did 50 years ago. Making sure dads with infants know how to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related causes of infant death is more important than ever. Dads everywhere can keep baby safe during sleep.

Grandparents

Q: When my children were babies, I put them on their stomachs to sleep. Was that wrong?

A: No. You were following advice based on the evidence available at that time. Since then, research has shown that sleeping on the stomach increases the risk for SIDS. This research also shows that sleeping on the back carries the lowest risk of SIDS, and that’s why the recommendation is “back is best.”

Nurturing Safe Sleep Champions

Nurture KC has awarded these metro hospitals – Providence Medical Center, Liberty Hospital, North Kansas City Hospital, AdventHealth South Overland Park and University Health System (Hospital Hill and Lakewood locations) – with its Nurturing Safe Sleep Champion designation for:

1) Adopting a safe sleep policy
2) Training staff on safe sleep procedures
3) Providing education to new parents

This initiative has been a top priority of our organization’s Kansas City Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Committee to reduce infant deaths from unsafe sleep. Educating parents on the importance of safe sleep is a benchmark in our Healthy Start Program. Through this initiative, we have a broader impact across the Kansas City metro for families who don’t receive Healthy Start services.

Before we facilitated the process for Nurturing Safe Sleep Champions, only Children’s Mercy Hospital and University Health (Hospital Hill) had safe sleep certifications with the latter being recently recertified with us.

Congratulations to these hospitals for demonstrating safe sleep behaviors for baby and helping local parents across the metro do the same!