Public Safety Announcement: for the young 'uns

[KMG_365]

For those of you new parents or grandparents or those "to be", here's a sobering safety tip for avoiding one of the most traumatic things a new parent could ever experience.

 

I just responded to my first fatality of a 3 month old, otherwise apparently healthy, bouncing baby boy. My sadness pales in comparison to what these poor parents will be living with forever.

 

Fortunately, it is rare and there are things you can do to lower your baby's risk starting with placing the baby on its back to sleep. Perhaps you've already heard of the "Back to Sleep" campaign. There are more variables, and sadly this baby had four or more of the risk factors against him.

 

R.I.P. "Joseph"

 

More info here:

 

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

 

Please discuss this important information with anyone you know with a newborn or who is expecting. The winter months frequently bring more soft bedding/blankets which also increases the risk.

[Twisties]

Thank you Jamie for doing what you do. I know couldn't, not even for one day.

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

For those of you new parents or grandparents or those "to be", here's a sobering safety tip for avoiding one of the most traumatic things a new parent could ever experience.

 

I just responded to my first fatality of a 3 month old, otherwise apparently healthy, bouncing baby boy. My sadness pales in comparison to what these poor parents will be living with forever.

 

Fortunately, it is rare and there are things you can do to lower your baby's risk starting with placing the baby on its back to sleep. Perhaps you've already heard of the "Back to Sleep" campaign. There are more variables, and sadly this baby had four or more of the risk factors against him.

 

R.I.P. "Joseph"

 

More info here:

 

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

 

Please discuss this important information with anyone you know with a newborn or who is expecting. The winter months frequently bring more soft bedding/blankets which also increases the risk.

 

 

I'm sure you've got all the resources you need, but you know there's a bunch of us out here you can call if necessary. Take care of yourself too.

 

RIP Joseph.

[Firefight911]

I'm sure you've got all the resources you need, but you know there's a bunch of us out here you can call if necessary. Take care of yourself too.

 

RIP Joseph.

 

+1

[Bud]

Thanks for the reminder.

 

Tough job and I'm glad that you are willing to do it.

 

Take care of yourself.

[SeanC]

Oh man, that must have been a difficult call to deal with. Does the department provide any sort of counseling to help you first responders cope with these types of tragedies? I almost need it just thinking about it, and thinking what the parents must be going through....

 

Anyway, thanks for doing your line of work. I hope you're well. Thanks also for the link. I noticed this remarkable statistic that seemed a bit buried in the info:

 

"Researchers took into account other risk factors and found that fan use was associated with a 72% lower risk of SIDS."

 

72%.... wow. Overhead ceiling fans are so easy to install. I hope more parents find this info.

[90%angel]

That's really tragic, Jamie (speaking as a mother of a three month old!!)

 

About the only thing on the list that we do that we shouldn't is have a crib bumper. Also, I have an oscillating fan in his room since we don't have wiring in the ceiling for a ceiling fan; I wonder if this is as effective?

 

Another thing I would reccommend, that has given me piece of mind: we have a baby monitor with a motion sensor in it. If the baby stops moving for more than 20 seconds, it sounds a loud alarm. (and yes, we forgot that on several occasions when he was first born, and the alarm went off part way through a feeding or diaper changing!) We thought it would be overly sensitive, but no false alarms yet (accept the times when we take him out of the crib and forget to turn it off, of course!)