Infants should sleep on their backs

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), an organization of 60,000 pediatricians, first said in 1992 that infants should be placed in a non-prone position for sleeping to avoid sudden infant death syndrome.

A new report, which was released at the group’s national conference in Boston, recommends infants sleep wholly on their back for every sleep and notes that side-sleeping is unsafe. Some supervised awake-time spent on the tummy is recommended.

A series of 18 recommendations from the AAP are intended to help guide parents, healthcare providers and others who care for infants following an increase in sleep-related deaths over the last few years.

The expanded recommendations focus broadly on creating a safe sleep environment that can reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, suffocation, entrapment and asphyxia, the report said.

The guidelines also recommend that soft objects and loose bedding, such as quilts, pillows and even bumper pads not be kept in cribs.

Infants should not regularly have routine sleep time in sitting devices, such as car seats and strollers, and should not sleep in a bed where they might suffocate, according to the guidelines.

The recommendations, geared to infants up to one year of age, emphasize the importance of regular prenatal care for pregnant women and encourage smoke-free environments for pregnant women and children.