Every sleep matters is the message of a new campaign to keep babies safe which is being backed by Hampshire’s Safeguarding Children’s Board.

Posters, which have been designed with the help of students on a BTEC Graphic design course at Fareham College, are to be distributed to children’s centres and early years providers, hospitals and local surgeries as well as schools and colleges which offer childcare courses.

The posters are aimed at raising awareness of the need to ensure babies sleep in a safe environment to lower the risk of Sudden Infant Death (SID) syndrome.

During 2009, 279 children aged under one year died of SID in England and Wales. Among the common contributing factors to their death are risks such as the effects of cigarette smoke, overheating or unsafe sleeping practices adopted by parents. These include parents falling asleep with their babies while under the influence of alcohol or simply being so tired themselves they run the risk of falling on the child and suffocating them – known as overlaying.

Another factor which can contribute to SID includes the baby’s temperature, particularly if it gets too hot or has too many bedclothes and blankets on.

The eye-catching posters, one featuring a baby sleeping peacefully and the other showing some of the things which may adversely affect safe sleeping highlight five safe sleeping tips:

• choose a safe place for me to sleep – the safest place is in a cot in a room with you for the first six months
• never sleep with me on the sofa, in an armchair or in your bed
• don’t let me get too hot
• don’t smoke or drink around me, cigarette smoke affects me
• put me on my back to sleep.

Commenting on the poster campaign Dr Ruth Milton, Director of Public Health in Hampshire and chair of the Child Death Overview Panel said: “Sudden Infant Death is heartbreaking for families and cannot always be prevented or predicted, However we know from analysis of these tragic occurrences that there are contributing factors which if avoided can help ensure your baby sleeps safely and does not become one of the tragic statistics.

“Among key contributing factors are the effects of cigarette smoke and babies overheating, as well as tragic accidents involving parents unintentionally suffocating their babies when they fall asleep with them in a chair, sofa or their bed. Further analysis of those incidents shows that alcohol can play a significant part in that it affects carers' judgement and may lead them to make unsafe choices when it comes to their babies sleeping arrangements.

“At a time for parties and celebrations when people’s consumption of alcohol may be higher than usual, it is a prudent time to remind parents of the need for babies to have safe sleeping conditions to prevent tragic accidents and unnecessary infant deaths.”

This article was courtesy of Connect - The Children's Trust newsletter on Hantsweb:
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/childrens-services/about-cs/ct-partnershipextranet/connect/connect-spring-2012/spring12-article5-safesleep.htm