Time to Get Back to Sleep

The cot death charity, the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID), and the special care baby charity Bliss have launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the heightened risk of cot death amongst premature babies. The Time to Get Back to Sleep campaign highlights the need for premature babies, who sleep on their tummies while in hospital, to be switched to sleeping on their backs at home.

Premature or low birth weight babies are more likely to die as cot deaths than those born at term of normal birth weight. The risk increases even more if premature babies are not slept on their backs at home. A premature baby is 48 times more likely to die as a cot death if they have been placed to sleep on their tummy instead of their back.

The campaign follows the publication of research that found that only 38 per cent of neonatal units actively discouraged parents from sleeping their prematurely-born babies on the front after discharge from the unit. All neonatal units in the country will now receive new guidelines explaining the advice, and a colourful flyer for parents reinforcing the back sleeping advice is also available.

Joyce Epstein, FSID Director, said: “Cot death is still the leading cause of death in babies over one month old in the UK today. To reduce the especially high risk of cot death among babies who were born prematurely, they must be slept on their backs at home.”

Bliss Chief Executive Andy Cole said: “Turning babies on their backs to sleep both in the latter stages of their stay on a special care baby unit, and then at home, is a simple step that can make a crucial difference.”

www.fsid.org.uk
www.bliss.org.uk

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