18 Oct Face It Friday: Back to Basics: The ABCD’s of Safe Sleep

As parents, we always want our babies to be as cozy as possible, snuggled with blankets and to have a pillow or stuffed animal around them for naps and bedtime. The reality is, this puts the baby in extreme danger, especially if they are under one-year-old. October is Safe Sleep Awareness Month. Spread this tool to help keep our babies safe while sleeping during their first year of life!

Thanks to our partner, Safe Sleep Kentucky, parents and caregivers have an easy way to remember how to keep their baby safe while they are sleeping.

The ABCD’s of Safe Sleep:

– Always alone: Share the room, not the bed. The safest place for your baby to sleep is in your room, but NOT in your bed.
– Back to sleep: A baby should always sleep on their back at night and for naps. Back sleeping on a firm mattress in a crib or play yard decreases the risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
– Clear, clean crib: A crib should contain a fitted sheet ONLY. No blankets, toys, pillows, bumpers or other items that could cover a baby’s face and suffocate them.
– Danger: Be aware, not impaired. Drinking and drug use impair your ability to care for a baby and make bed-sharing and other unsafe sleep practices even more dangerous.