The Berrien County Health Department is working to get the word out this month to new parents about the importance of putting their babies to bed safely. Spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM NEws you should put the baby in a crib with nothing else that could smother it.
“Most unsafe sleep deaths occur when babies are placed not in a crib,” Conrad said. “So, either on a couch or other piece of furniture, in a bed. While sleeping with an adult in a bed, babies can easily be smothered, and these deaths are preventable.”
The health department urges parents to follow the ABCs of safe infant sleep. They are to have the baby sleep Alone, on its Back, and in a Crib. Conrad notes Berrien County’s rate of sleep-related infant deaths is twice the state average. All month, the department has worked with Lakeland to give out safe infant sleep packages to new parents. You can find out more about safe infant sleep at MI.gov/SafeSleep.
