Preventing Sudden Infant Death With Simple Bedtime Rules

There are simple rules for sleeping to avoid the sudden death of infants under two years old. A phenomenon that affects more than 300 babies per year.

Martin Ducret, doctor and journalist at Doctor’s Daily, Today we are talking about a phenomenon that affects infants under 2 years old. In French hospitals, the week of prevention of sudden infant death has just taken place. The opportunity to return to this sensitive subject which concerns more than 300 babies per year in France, and two thirds of which could be avoided by respecting simple rules of bedding.

franceinfo: First of all, what is sudden infant death?

Martin Ducret: It is when an infant under 2 years of age dies suddenly – most often in their sleep – without having suffered any prior trauma or abuse, and in the absence of any known illness.

For each of these deaths, a comprehensive investigation is launched in a hospital reference center, to try to detect the cause, such as a metabolic disease or a previously unknown malformation, through biological and imaging tests as well as an autopsy. The parents are also supported, particularly on a psychological level, to mourn their child in the best possible conditions.

In 40% of cases, no illness is precisely identified, however well-known risk factors promote this type of sudden death, in particular poor sleeping habits, such as putting the baby to sleep on their stomach for example.

And the good news is that by adopting simple sleeping rules, a large proportion of these deaths could be avoided?

Absolutely. These rules are detailed in any health record that a baby receives at birth. Parents and those around them should therefore know that an infant during the first year of life must be placed only on his back, on a firm mattress, adapted to the dimensions of a cot, and without any cushion, comforter, duvet, baby wedge or mattress topper. This allows the newborn to have his face clear, and to breathe well throughout the night.

In addition, the baby must be covered with pajamas, a sleeping bag or a sleeping bag, of varying thickness depending on the season, and in a room with a temperature between 18° and 20°C. Also important, parents must not smoke near their child, nor let him sleep in their bed, nor leave him on his stomach unsupervised.

And these rules, although easy to apply, face disinformation on the internet and social networks?

Yes. For example, when you type “my baby is sleeping” into the internet search bar, you come across many parenting advice sites with images showing everything you should not do to put your baby to bed, explained to me Professor Hugues Patural, pediatrician at the Saint Etienne University Hospital and president of SFMINE, the French society for the prevention and study of unexpected infant and child death.

For him, “It is necessary that new prevention campaigns be implemented at the national level – which is no longer the case today – to raise awareness among the general population and combat disinformation”.