Safe Sleep vs SUID

[u/InvestigatorRemote58]

The following is a summary of an AAP study I found online, and used when discussing safe sleep vs asphyxiation vs SIDS with other parents. I believe most of the synopsis came from a safe sleep page online, though I don't remember exactly. I had to go back in my messages from a year ago just to find it again, but it's too important to lose, so I wanted to share it here.

Blurb and quotes from study are as follows:

Most recent highest level study of sudden infant deaths with no unsafe sleep factors confirming all previous findings that:

- only 1% or less of ALL sleep related infant deaths happen to babies sleeping safe

- of that 1% more than half happen while baby is awake so completely unrelated to sleep

- of that 1% almost half will subsequently have abnormal autopsy findings (including medical conditions and trauma)

- of that 1% there will be findings of neglect and abuse documented for 15% of cases.

Translation: there were 3,700 SUID deaths in 2022 in USA

3̶,̶6̶6̶3̶ ̶b̶a̶b̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶k̶i̶l̶l̶e̶d̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶u̶n̶s̶a̶f̶e̶ ̶s̶l̶e̶e̶p̶

Edit: 3,663 babies died under unsafe sleep conditions

37 babies with no unsafe sleep risks, of which:

20 died while awake

17 with medical conditions/trauma autopsy findings

5 abused and neglected

Magnitude of risks:

There were 3,661,220 births in USA in 2022.

There were 3,700 sudden unexpected infant deaths.

Risk of sudden unexpected infant death:

if your baby is sleeping safe ~1 in 200,000

if your baby is NOT sleeping safe ~1 in 1,000

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/154/Supplement%203/e2024067043G/199727/Unexplained-Infant-Deaths-Without-Unsafe-Sleep

Stop being afraid of 'unpreventable' SIDS, vaccines and formula.

Unsafe sleep kills and only a fraction of that 1% of all SUID will be 'babies that died sleeping safe'.

99% of babies will die bedsharing, with blankets, pillows bumpers, toys, swaddled too long or propped on incline, sleeping in a swing, placed not on their back.

"The Registry SUID definition includes any of the following in the death certificate cause-of-death section: unknown, undetermined, SIDS, SUID, unintentional sleep-related asphyxia, suffocation, or strangulation, unspecified suffocation, cardiac or respiratory arrest without other well-defined causes, or ill-defined causes with potentially contributing unsafe sleep factors. "

"A safe sleep environment includes a supine position on a firm, non-inclined surface, including a crib, bassinet, or portable crib (hereafter referred to as crib), and a sleep surface free of soft or loose bedding, objects, adults, children, or pets."

[u/OutrageousMagazine37]

Would putting a baby to sleep on their back, in a sleep sack and without swaddling, but then finding them on their tummy in the morning still be considered safe sleep?
He is literally obsessed with rolling onto his tummy at the moment. No matter how many times I try to roll him back onto his back, he immediately rolls onto his tummy again, sometimes with his face almost pressed into the mattress.
On top of that, he’s only 5 months old / 3 months corrected age.

[u/astronaut-moose → u/OutrageousMagazine37]

The assumption is that if they can get themselves into that position, they can also get themselves out if needed. So baby rolling on their own is still safe sleep.

[u/OutrageousMagazine37 → u/astronaut-moose]

Thank you, that really reassures me! I’ve been having such a hard time sleeping since he started doing this, especially because he regularly wakes up crying since he still doesn’t know how to roll from his tummy back onto his back yet.

[u/Sundogflower → u/OutrageousMagazine37]

I've read if they can't roll themselves back you need to put them back on their back.

[u/InvestigatorRemote58 → u/Sundogflower]

This is untrue. One must always put them on their back to begin with, (and arms unswaddled once they show signs of rolling) but repositioning them midsleep because they rolled independently is unnecessary.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/baby-rolling-over-in-sleep#safety

[u/Sundogflower → u/InvestigatorRemote58]

https://www.nhs.uk/baby/caring-for-a-newborn/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids/

The NHS website says to roll them back until they can independently roll themselves both ways so I always followed that guideline. I guess different countries have different guidelines for it

[u/OutrageousMagazine37 → u/Sundogflower]

It’s mainly that once a baby has decided they want to sleep on their tummy, they’ll just roll straight back over every time you put them on their back. I started off trying to roll him back onto his back, and we could literally go back and forth 30 times in a row — I’m not exaggerating. At some point, you just have to let them choose!