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Hospital gives out special sleeper to fight SIDS
Posted: 10.09.2008 at 10:44 PM
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Haley in Halo Sleep Sack  / FOX21/Danielle Leigh
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SIDS leading cause of death in children under one-year-old

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Babies born this month at Memorial Hospital will be going home with a special sleep sack.

It's all part of the hospital's effort to reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the leading cause of children under one year old.

More than 2,500 seemingly healthy babies die of SIDS each year.

Twenty five percent of the time babies who die of SIDS are found with a blanket covering their face.

The sleep sack that Memorial Hospital is handing out eliminates the need for extra blankets in the crib, reducing the likelihood of SIDS.

It was actually designed by a parent whose baby died of SIDS.

Two-day-old Haley looked pretty cozy in her new Halo Sleep Sack.

"She seems to love it," said Dawn Lucero.

"This is an integrated piece of clothing that puts the sleeper blanket and swaddling component together," said Neonatologist Mary Laird.

When Haley's in this sleeper, she doesn't need any other blankets, eliminating the likelihood that one of her blankets could induce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

"This doesn't get over the babies face, snuggles the baby," says Laird.

People may think sleep blankets like this haven been around a long time, but there are a couple things that set this Swaddle Sleep sack apart.

The first is that the blanket component doesn't have any arms, so that gives a parent more control over how warm a baby is getting. It also has a swaddle component which allows parents to have less things in the crib that could cause a problem for the baby.

"It looks to me like this also keeps from swaddling excessively tightly, which can also be a problem," says Mary Laird.

"It certainly gives them better options for laying them down at night," says Lucero.

Better options Haley's Aunt Dawn said could help her sister sleep a little better a night.

"You worry about them all night long. So it's something that should make it easier for my sister I hope, laying the baby down at night and not worrying quite so much," says Lucero.

Memorial Hospital estimates staff will give out about 400 of these sleeper blankets this month.

Here are the top ways parents can protect their babies:

1. Always place a baby on his or her back to sleep.

2. Place the baby on a firm surface.

3. Keep soft objects, toys, and loose bedding out of the crib.

4. Avoid smoking around the baby.

5. Keep the baby's crib nearby, but do not have the baby sleep in the bed with you.

6. Try using a clean pacifier when putting the baby down.

7. Don't let the baby get overheated,

8. Don't rely on home monitors.

9. Use sleepers instead of blankets.

That information comes from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

For more information on how to protect a baby from SIDS, visit the American SIDS Institute Website.

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