Safe sleep practices save lives

In tribute to Minnesota’s Infant Safe Sleep Week, Nov. 15-21, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is encouraging all infant caregivers to tune into what pediatricians are saying about the best ways to keep babies sleeping safely. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) safe sleep recommendations for preventing sleep-related infant deaths among children up to 1 year old support the ABCs of safe sleep: 

• ALONE: Infants should always sleep or nap alone - not sharing beds or cribs with others.
• BACK: Always put a baby on their back to sleep or nap.
• CRIB: Babies should always sleep or nap in their own safety-approved crib, play yard, bassinet, or portable crib without blankets or pillows. To keep warm during Minnesota winters, parents are urged to dress babies in pajamas or other clothing appropriate for the temperature.

Annually, approximately 50 otherwise healthy Minnesota babies die of sleep-related unintentional injuries while sleeping in unsafe conditions. Babies become tangled in bedding, get stuck under pillows, or trapped between a sleeping adult and the cushions of a sofa or recliner. The vast majority of SUID in Minnesota are largely preventable. Focusing on safe sleep practices can prevent these tragedies. Learn more at MDH’s Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (Includes SIDS and Sleep-Related Infant Deaths) and Safe Sleep webpage.

Safe sleep standards for licensed child care centers and licensed family child care programs

Minnesota Statutes, chapter 142B.46 requires licensed child care providers comply with specific safe sleep standards, crib inspections, sleep supervision, and training requirements for working with infants because unsafe sleep environments have been associated with unexpected infant deaths, including deaths in licensed child care. These standards align with the AAP recommendations for infant safe sleep and to provide greater clarity for license holders.

• When an infant younger than one year of age is placed down to sleep, the infant’s pacifier cannot have anything attached to it and the infant’s clothing or sleepwear cannot have weighted materials, a hood, or a bib. 
• An infant younger than one year of age may wear a helmet while sleeping if the license holder has specific documentation. 
• A plain language definition of swaddling has been incorporated into the statute, as well as clarity on the type of sleepwear that is appropriate for swaddling. 
• License holders have the option to request a variance to permit the use of a cradleboard, if requested by a parent or guardian for a cultural accommodation.

Additional information on safe sleep and other licensing requirements can be found on each of the licensed child care webpages: Licensed Child Care Center Licensing webpage, Family Child Care Licensing webpage and Licensing Help for Child Care.

Note: The above information is specific to licensed child care centers and licensed family child care programs. For information on safe sleep requirements that apply to certified child care centers, see Minnesota Statutes, chapter 142B.46. For legal nonlicensed child care, additional information on requirements can be found in the Minnesota Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Policy Manual 11.9 Legal nonlicensed Providers.