Significant Racial, Ethnic Gaps Still Remain Despite Efforts To Broadly Reduce Sudden Infant Deaths
It's not clear why American Indian and Alaska Native infants experience a higher rate of SIDS than others. Meanwhile, the trend of having babies sleep in a box to reduce risk is spreading to the U.S., and air mattresses pose a danger to infants.
NPR:
Racial Disparities Persist In Sudden Infant Deaths
American Indian and Alaska Native families are much more likely to have an infant die suddenly and unexpectedly, and that risk has remained higher than in other ethnic groups since public health efforts were launched to prevent sudden infant death syndrome in the 1990s. African-American babies also face a higher risk, a study finds. (Hobson, 5/15)
The Washington Post:
Put Your Baby To Sleep In A Box? A Finnish Idea Is Winning Converts Here.
Although Ella Mae Formel works full time in Great Barrington, Mass., money is tight for the new mother. Her baby, Oliver, was born at the end of March, and making sure she had everything she needed to take care of him was important to her. So when she read a newspaper article before his birth about a program offering free baby boxes, she jumped at the opportunity. Her gift — a cardboard box where the baby can sleep for his first six months — came loaded with swaddles, a first-aid kit, a rubber duck thermometer to test water temperature, diapers, and tea and sanitary pads for her. (Eaton, 5/13)
NPR:
Inflatable Beds: Dangerous For Infants, Attractive To Cash-Strapped Parents
Inflatable beds can be cheap, which is good news for consumers who want an alternative to pricey traditional mattresses. But their uneven, soft, impermeable surfaces are dangerous for babies, and can increase the risk of sudden infant death. The dangers may be particularly acute for low-income families, a recent essay in the American Journal of Public Health argues. (Hersher, 5/12)
