October 23, 2023
A safe sleep environment will help reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and prevent other sleep-related injuries and death in babies. To learn more about safe infant sleep, visit Safe Infant Sleep | Alberta Health Services. Photo supplied.
Story by Vanessa Gomez
From pregnancy to birth, Alberta Health Services (AHS) supports caregivers across the province to make informed decisions about their baby’s sleep environment to get them off to the best start.
The Healthy Children & Families’ Safe Infant Sleep (SIS) initiative was established in 2009 to address concerns around sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and the risk factor of bed-sharing. Resources such as the SIS policy, eLearning Module and HealthyParentsHealthyChildren.ca give healthcare providers and caregivers the awareness, knowledge and tools to safely care for infants.
“The policy was created to promote safe infant sleep practices for infants in all care settings — both inpatient and outpatient,” says Dr. Erin Boschee, a pediatrician at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. “Our goal is to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome and other sleep-related injuries, such as suffocation, asphyxia and smothering.”
Families with babies work with providers to address their individual goals and concerns for their child. Providers share safe sleep messages and model safe sleep practices for caregivers, such as how to position your baby for sleep, create clutter-free spaces and choose cribs or bassinets that meet Canadian safety standards. Several resources are available for parents through the Healthy Parents, Healthy Children website, including safe sleep tips for your baby’s first year.
AHS staff can enroll in the Continuing Medical Education-accredited Safe Infant Sleep eLearning module, available on MyLearningLink to learn about safe infant sleep practices. This module is useful for medical and midwifery staff, public health nurses, students, volunteers, contracted service providers and external stakeholders who provide services across the maternal/infant continuum of care.
“Educating our staff is important because they play a vital role in communicating and emulating safe-sleep practices,” says Dr. Boschee.
“While safe sleep practices are a caregiver’s decision, our goal is to work collaboratively with families to set them up for success and provide evidence-based information so they can take these learnings from hospital to home.”
October is SIDS Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness of sudden infant death and to promote safe sleep. To learn about safe infant sleep, visit the Healthy Children & Families Safe Infant Sleep webpage or visit healthyparentshealthychildren.ca.
