ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. — Erie County health officials are urging parents and caregivers to follow safe-sleep practices after seven infants in Western New York died in the past two months, with unsafe sleeping environments identified as a contributing cause, the Erie County Department of Health said Friday.
The deaths, all in infants 6 months of age or younger, were investigated by the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office, the county health department said. The department emphasized what it called the “ABCs” of safe sleep: babies should sleep alone, on their back, in a safe crib and in a smoke-free home.
“Parents and caregivers are responsible for giving their babies a safe environment to play, grow and sleep,” Erie County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein said in a statement. “Having a sleeping infant in a bed or on a couch is taking a dangerous gamble with their health and life.”
The department noted that the recent deaths occurred during relatively warm weather and were not linked to attempts to keep infants warm. Officials warned that co-sleeping, soft bedding, bumper pads and other soft surfaces can cause suffocation or crush injuries and strongly recommended room-sharing without bed-sharing for the first six months.
Public-health guidance highlighted in the advisory includes:
- Place infants on their backs for all naps and nighttime sleep.
- Keep the crib free of pillows, blankets, stuffed toys and bumper pads; use a firm, flat mattress with a tight-fitting sheet.
- Share a room with the baby, not a bed; the American Academy of Pediatrics says room-sharing during the first six months can reduce the risk of sudden infant death by about half.
- Maintain a smoke-free home — parental and household smoking increases the risk of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID).
- Avoid sleeping with an infant if the caregiver has been using alcohol, drugs, or is overly tired; consider wearable blankets or one-piece sleepers rather than loose blankets.
The department urged parents to make sure babysitters, grandparents and anyone caring for an infant follow these safe-sleep practices.
The Erie County release included links to state and national resources on safe sleep. The county provided the guidance and said the Medical Examiner’s Office identified unsafe sleeping environments as a contributing factor in the recent infant deaths.
Source: Erie County Department of Health.
