Follow ABCs of infant sleep safety

September is national Baby Safety Month, and one of the best ways to protect infants is by providing a safe sleep environment. Do you know your ABCs of infant sleep safety?

Carla Allen, a certified sleep safety instructor for the Children’s Hospital of Georgia and assistant nurse manager for Labor and Delivery and the Obstetrics Emergency Department at Augusta University Medical Center, would like to remind parents that babies cannot control their own sleep environments.

“Babies are unable to move out of a harmful situation, or to understand danger,” Allen said. “They rely on parents and other adult caregivers to protect them. Healthy sleep measures are essential for a baby’s survival, as well as for proper growth and development.”

Allen urges parents and caregivers to follow the ABCs of infant sleep safety to prevent injuries and accidental death:

A – Alone

Baby should always sleep alone.

B – Back

Baby should be put to bed on his/her back.

C – Crib

Only use an approved crib or bassinet for baby to sleep, and never put your baby to sleep on an adult bed, couch, or other soft surface to avoid suffocation.

Allen says there are other measures parents and caregivers should take as well, such as providing a smoke-free environment.

To schedule an interview with Carla Allen about infant sleep safety, please call Denise Parrish at 706-831-3148, or email her at mparrish@augusta.edu