Recently, there have been a lot of TV programs and newspaper stories discussing infant safe sleep, especially the debate about co-sleeping. Despite much research, we still aren’t sure why some babies die during co-sleeping and others don’t. Every infant death is tragic and involves a unique set of circumstances.

Here’s what we do know: between 2005 and 2008, 88 babies in the Milwaukee area died from accidental overlay, suffocation or sudden infant death syndrome. These cases involved boys and girls of all …Continue reading this post

Learn the ABCs of safe sleep

There is nothing more innocent than a sleeping baby. There is nothing more tragic than a baby who dies in his or her sleep. Fortunately, research shows that many of these deaths can be prevented.

As a doctor at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, I see the good and the bad. I see smiling babies toddling down our hallways and giggling infants squealing with delight. But, I also see families whose lives changed forever because of the death of an infant.

While I am a doctor, my most important title in life is “dad” to a 7-year-old son. I simply cannot imagine life without him. When he was a baby, my wife and I took extra precautions to put him in a safe sleep environment. It wasn’t always easy. We were tired. Sometimes, we were downright exhausted. But, it was our job to protect him.

Taking our cue from the American Academy of Pediatrics, we used three easy-to-remember steps to help maintain a safe sleep environment for my son when he was an infant:

• A: Babies always should sleep alone. Sleeping with your baby in your bed, on a couch or in a chair is not safe.

• B: Babies should sleep on their backs. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, this is the safest position for babies to sleep in.

• C: Babies should sleep in a crib. Make sure there are no bumper pads, toys or other items in the crib.

Download Children’s Hospital’s safe sleep flier, post it in your child’s nursery and share it with a friend.

~ Jason Jarzembowski, MD, PhD, is the program director of perinatal pathology at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and the medical advisor for the Infant Death Center of Wisconsin.

Spring is here! It’s so nice to have brighter, longer days, but it might mean that you’re having a hard time getting your kids to sleep in the evening.

You probably know that adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night. But how much sleep do kids need?

Infants (birth to 12 months old) – 10 ½ to 18 hours (total of nighttime and naps)
Toddlers (1 to 3 years old) – 12 to 14 hours (total of nighttime and naps)
Preschoolers (3 to 5 years old) – 11 to 13 hours
School-age kids (6 to 12 years old) – 10 to 11 hours
Teens (13 to 18 years old) – 9 to 9 ½  hours

Here’s a helpful sleep checklist:

• Set a regular bedtime and wake-up time. Kids with bedtimes before 10 p.m. are much more likely to get enough sleep than kids with later bedtimes. If necessary, the schedule can be adjusted at a gradual pace (about 15 minutes every two days) to ease the transition.

• Be consistent with your children’s sleep schedules, even on the weekends. Emphasize activity and bright light in the morning; these help to train the brain to be wide awake in the morning. Whenever possible, send them outside to play, rather than allowing them to sit watching TV and eating snacks – it’s better for their brain and their body!

• Establish a relaxing evening routine. Avoid exercising or stimulating activities in the last few hours before bedtime.

• Create a sleep environment that is cool, dark, quiet and comfortable.

• Limit caffeine, especially after lunch.

• Avoid having a TV or computer in the bedroom and turn them off at least 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.

Make sleep a priority for yourself and your family.

~Megan Grekowicz, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, pediatric nurse practitioner, Sleep Center, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Clinics-New Berlin

Several times a week, we find ourselves sitting in meetings discussing the best way to keep babies safe while sleeping. At Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin one of our initiatives focuses on injury prevention and death review. Additionally, we provide grief and bereavement services for families who have experienced the unexpected death of an infant. Our work keeps us motivated to find ways to keep babies safe and parents well rested!

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents follow the ABC’s of safe sleep.

Sometimes, babies can’t fall asleep on their own or wake up frequently at night, which can make parents very tired and cranky. Parents can try the following tips to help baby fall and stay asleep.

Keep bedtime and naptime routines the same every day.

• Keep things quiet for 1 hour before bedtime.
• Soft lighting helps baby get sleepy.
• Babies like to hear a quiet story or song before bedtime.
• Cuddle and rock baby gently before bedtime.
• Most babies sleep well after a feeding and/or a bath.
• Gently rub baby’s arms and legs.

Consider using a pacifier when you place baby on his/her back for sleep. If baby is breastfed, wait until she is 1 month old or is used to breastfeeding before using a pacifier. If baby spits out the pacifier after falling asleep, you do not need to put it back in her mouth.

If baby is only fussing wait a minute to make sure baby is actually awake. Some babies fuss a bit during sleep but will quickly settle down.

If baby wakes up and cries, go to him or her as quickly as possible. Calming the baby down quickly should help the baby go back to sleep. Try not to play with baby during the night when s/he wakes up. Keep play time during daytime hours.

Hold and feed baby if s/he is hungry, and comfort him or her before placing on their back to sleep in their own crib or bassinet. In the early weeks and months of life, babies need to be fed often. The time between night feedings should increase as babies grow bigger and begin to sleep for longer periods of time at night.

For more information about safe sleep visit Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin.

~Abby Collier, MS,  project manager, Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin

During the cold, snowy Wisconsin winter nights, I like to enjoy a cozy fire in our fireplace, sip hot cocoa and bundle up in a warm sweater. Sadly, winter also means a higher risk of home fires.

Did you know that over half of home fires happen late at night when people are sleeping? A nighttime house fire can be devastating, but knowing a few facts may protect your family if you wake up in the middle of the night and smell smoke.

Kids sleep more deeply than adults, and that may make it more difficult to wake them during an emergency. I recently read a study that said young children often sleep through normal smoke detector alarms or respond so slowly that they can’t escape within the critical three-minute time period. This makes it easier to understand why more than 50 percent of child deaths from fire occur when children are sleeping.

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