SIDS Prevention

Here at Holly Tree Brentwood, we are very pro-active in preventing SIDS. In our Nursery Classrooms, we have SIDS timers that are set for every 15 minutes. Once the timer goes off, the teacher must physically touch each child that is asleep, and listen for breathing. Another preventative measure we take is making sure all of our infants are placed on their backs to sleep.

According to the CJ Foundation for SIDS, babies who die of SIDS are born with one or more conditions that make them especially vulnerable to stresses that occur in the normal life of an infant. SIDS occurs in all types of families and is largely indifferent to race or socioeconomic level. There are many different risk factors that can be associated with SIDS. Researchers now know that the mother's health during pregnancy and the baby's health before birth seem to influence the occurrence of SIDS, but these variables are not reliable in predicting how, when, why, or if SIDS will occur. Maternal risk factors include cigarette smoking during pregnancy, maternal age less than 20 years, poor prenatal care, low weight gain, and anemia.

There are many preventive measures that you can take to reduce the risk of SIDS. These preventive measures include:

• Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep, for naps and at night. 
• Place your baby on a firm sleep surface, such as on a safety-approved crib mattress, covered by a fitted sheet.
• Keep soft objects, toys, and loose bedding out of your baby's sleep area.
• Do not allow smoking around your baby. 
• Keep your baby's sleep area close to, but separate from, where you and others sleep.
• Think about using a clean, dry pacifier when placing the infant down to sleep.
• Do not let your baby overheat during sleep.
• Avoid products that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS.
• Do not use home monitors to reduce the risk of SIDS.
• Reduce the chance that flat spots will develop on your baby's head.

For more information on this topic, please visit: http://www.sids.org 

For more information about our program, please visit our website: http://www.hollytreechildcare.com