While mothers of infants are aware of safe sleep practices for babies as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, they find them unrealistic and use non-recommended practices if they think it will help them and their infants sleep, according to a Pediatrics study. The article, “The Tension between AAP Safe Sleep Guidelines and Infant Sleep,” published in the April 2024 Pediatrics (published online March 26), analyzed results of a focus group of 25 mothers of infants younger than six months old between November 2022 and March 2023. All the mothers acknowledged awareness that infants should sleep alone on their backs and in a crib without soft bedding to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sudden unexpected infant death (SUID). While the mothers said they had initially intended to follow safe infant sleep guidance, most said they used non-recommended practices to get their infant to sleep and remain asleep. A total of 80% reported holding or rocking their infant to sleep and 76% fed their infant to sleep. Nearly all (92%) reported using at least one product not approved as an infant sleep space by the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, including a car seat (56%), swing (48%), or infant carrier worn on an adult’s body (40%). Nationwide, about 3,400 infants die suddenly and unexpectantly, and adherence to safe infant sleep guidance is sub-optimal. Nearly one-quarter of families report not placing their infant on their back to sleep and nearly half report bedsharing. More than half of families report using soft bedding. The authors suggest that the risk of SUID may not be tangible to parents and that terms such as “suffocation” may be more effective in communicating this risk. They also support interventions that teach parents about developmentally appropriate sleep patterns and strategies to promote infant sleep and self-soothing.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.