Article
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has just updated their safe infant sleep environment recommendations, citing evidence that infants should sleep in the same room with their parents, ideally for the first full year of life, but at the very least for the first 6 months.
Approximately 3500 infants die each year in the United States from sleep-related deaths, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).1 SIDS is defined as the sudden, unexplained death of an infant younger than 1 year of age. After the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended placing infants to sleep on their backs in the 1990s, deaths due to SIDS initially decreased.2 However, the overall infant death rate hasn’t declined in recent years.
The most notable update to the recommendations is for infants to share their parents’ bedroom for at least the first 6 months, but ideally for the full first year of life.2 Infants should be placed to sleep on their backs in a separate sleeping surface, such as a crib or bassinet. Evidence suggests that sharing a bedroom can decrease the risk of SIDS by about 50%.
The AAP report includes the following other recommendations:2
Pharmacists can play an important role in educating patients in the community and hospital setting about the AAP recommendations. Also, pharmacists can play an integral role in appropriate prenatal care. This can include collaborating with the OB/GYN and recommending prenatal vitamins.
The AAP recommends breastfeeding; however, this may not be feasible for all patients. Some mothers may be taking medications that aren’t compatible with breastfeeding or they may be more comfortable with formula feeding. Pharmacists can make patients feel comfortable with this decision and emphasize the many other recommendations that can decrease the risk of SIDS. Additionally, pharmacists can emphasize the importance of staying up-to-date on all vaccines to reduce the risk of SIDS. Pharmacists can provide smoking cessation programs to reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy and birth. Also, pharmacists can collaborate with other health care professionals to emphasize the importance of the “Safe to Sleep” campaign to reduce the risk of SIDS.
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