Baby sleep-planner helps save babies at risk of sudden infant death syndrome

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS or crib death) remains the leading cause of infant death between the ages of one month and one year in the Western world. In Israel, an average of 45 infants die from SIDS per year, 87% of them before six months of age.

The risk can be reduced substantially if parents always put their babies to sleep on their backs and not on the stomachs or sides; if the baby isn’t exposed to smoking or wrapped up too tightly with blankets; if the mattress is hard; and if there are no “baby bumpers” in the crib.  

Now, a new web-based baby sleep planner developed by researchers at the University of Bristol’s Medical School in the UK has been found to help save babies' lives from SIDS. The digital tool can determine babies’ risks and help keep them safe while sleeping.

The study includes the planning tool

The study was published in JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting under the title “A risk assessment and planning tool to prevent sudden unexpected death in infancy: development and evaluation of the baby sleep planner.” It found the sleep planner tool, which combines risk assessment and safety planning, can potentially improve the uptake of life-saving advice for families with infants at increased risk.

The sleep planner tool, using advice from the Lullaby Trust, UNICEF, and NICE, provides a baby’s risk assessment at birth and a downloadable sleep plan for families.

The prototype baby sleep planner tool was tested by 22 health professionals, including visiting nurses, midwives, and family nurses, 20 of whom were interviewed. They said the tool allowed at-risk families to be identified for further support and improved their communication about risk with families.

The testers recommended that the tool’s use be expanded to include information during pregnancy and for it to be available in different languages.

Dr. Anna Pease said: “The risk assessment can be done at birth to help health professionals know whom to focus on with more safe-sleep support. The tool also empowers families to understand their baby’s needs and make a plan to keep them safe.”

Epidemiology Prof. Peter Blair concluded: “We know that safe-sleep campaigns have saved the lives of thousands of babies. Although SIDS is quite rare, we know that many babies who have died in recent years have at least one known risk present in their sleep.”