More than half of the child fatalities reported to the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment were attributable to a child co-sleeping with a parent, sibling or caregiver or other unsafe sleep conditions. These deaths were preventable.
These tragedies cross cultural, racial, ethnic and economic demographics. This type of tragedy happens everywhere.
Babies are often smothered by loose bed covers, suffocated while sleeping with a caregiver or becoming wedged while sleeping on a sofa. Sleeping with a child can be dangerous, especially if someone has been drinking, is using prescription drugs, is overtired, is overweight, or is sleeping on a sofa.
We need to spread the message to our family, friends, neighbors and professionals involved in medicine, child care and social services. The message is simple: Safe sleeping is everyone's business and we must take every effort to educate parents of newborn infants.
Parenting of a newborn can be exhausting, challenging and difficult. But there are three "ABC" ways to make sure tragedy does not happen:
Babies need to sleep Alone,
On their Backs, and
In a Crib.
Caregivers can room-share instead of bed-share; they will still be close to baby.
Kudos to Albany County, CDTA, and the state's Office of Children and Family Services and Health Department for their aggressive promotion of infant-safe sleeping.
We all can help with this critical effort.
William T. Gettman Jr., executive director, St. Catherine's Center for Children, Albany