Many parents believe that crib death, or sudden infant death syndrome, only occurs at night. However, researchers in the U.K. are urging parents to be aware that the risk of crib death exists during daytime naps as well.
Experts emphasize the importance of babies sleeping on their backs and being in the same room as their parents. Shockingly, three-quarters of babies who died during the day were not attended to by an adult in the room.
The study, conducted over three years and published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, analyzed 1,625 children. It revealed that approximately 300 babies under the age of one die each year in the UK from crib death.
The research, carried out by experts from Bristol University, Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, and the Nuffield Institute for Health, included 325 infants who died and 1,300 of a similar age who did not.
While the majority of deaths occur at night, 83%, 75% of deaths during the day were when babies were left unattended in a room. Notably, one in four unattended babies had bedclothes over their head, compared to one in 10 when a parent was present.
In cases where deaths occurred during the day, 38% of the babies were observed to be alive 30 minutes before their unfortunate fate, and 9% were alive just 10 minutes before.
Co-author Peter Fleming emphasized the need to reconsider current practices and take guidance from other cultures that prioritize keeping babies nearby at all times.
Joyce Epstein, director of the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths, stressed the importance of following the advice to sleep babies on their back and prevent their heads from being covered by bedclothes both day and night. For daytime naps, it is suggested to keep the baby nearby in a carrycot or playpen, or to take a nap when the baby does.
SOURCE:BBC
