Children's Health: Back To Sleep One of the most tragic events that can happen to a
family is the sudden death of a healthy baby. SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), also known as cot death, is the sudden unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby.
A campaign Back to Sleep, was launched in 1991, led by television star Anne Diamond after the death of her baby son. They raised awareness about babies sleeping on their back and saw the number of deaths drop from 1,545 in 1989 to around 230 now.
When doing my baby checks I have noted that many parents have been concerned regarding the shape of their baby’s head. Babies sometimes develop a fl attened head when they’re a few months old, usually as a result of them spending a lot of time lying on their back. Studies in Australia and Canada recently concluded that some parents were ignoring SIDS advice due to concerns about their baby’s head shape. This was more dramatically reported in the Daily Mail, “Parents are risking their babies’ lives by putting expensive pillows in their cots to stop the back of their head fl attening.” Your baby won’t experience any pain or other symptoms, or any problems with their general development as a result of this temporary change in head shape. So how can you follow long established
SIDS guidance and minimise the fl attening of the back of your baby’s head?
• Give your baby time on their tummy during the day – encourage them to try new positions during play time, but make sure they always sleep on their back, as this is safest for them
• Switch your baby between a sloping chair, a sling and a fl at surface – this ensures there isn’t constant pressure on one part of their head
• Change the position of toys and mobiles in their cot – this will encourage your baby to turn their head on to the non-fl attened side • Alternate the side you hold your baby when feeding and carrying
• Reduce the time your baby spends lying on a fi rm fl at surface, such as car seats and prams – try using a sling or front carrier when practical.
The level of worry about babies’ head shapes has been overstated and we should not be complacent about SIDS advice. In most cases, a baby’s head will return to a spherical shape once they are sitting up more.
Dr Mark Bridgman Hadleigh Lodge Surgery
www.thehadleighpractice.nhs.uk
32
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