• COVID-19 Resources
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Promotions
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • June 2, 2023

Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper

"THE NEWSPAPER YOU CAN TRUST SINCE 1964"

  • News
  • Editorials
  • Education
  • Urban Business
  • Health
  • Religion
  • Upcoming Events
  • Classifieds

Sleep-related infant deaths – What can we do?

January 23, 2010

By Anna C. Benton, director
Family and Community Health Services
City of Milwaukee Health Department

For the past decade, an average of 23 Milwaukee infants each year have died while sleeping unsafely. To address this issue, the City of Milwaukee Health Department recently launched a “safe sleep” campaign to prevent deaths related to bed-sharing in Milwaukee. The posters and radio announcements are part of a comprehensive effort to raise awareness and encourage safe sleep.

But since the beginning of this year, four local infants have died while sleeping unsafely. One of the reasons that the message may not be sinking in is because there are a number of misconceptions about safe sleep. First, people think they can share a bed safely. There is no such thing. Your bed is always a dangerous place for your baby: the only way to be perfectly sure your baby is safe is to put him in his own crib or bassinet. Second, people think it can’t happen to them, and that only parents who drink or use drugs lose their babies. Our statistics tell us that less than 20 percent of the SIDS or unsafe-sleep deaths involve any alcohol or drugs.

Our message is this: if you want your baby to be as safe as possible, put him on his back, in his own crib or bassinet, with no bumper pads, blankets, toys, or pillows. A large number of recent infant deaths have involved pillows. To a baby, a pillow can be deadly – no baby under the age of two should be anywhere near a pillow, ever.

It is hard to break old habits, especially if they go against the “way we were raised.” But in this case, it is a matter of life and death. If you sleep with your baby, stop today. Go purchase a crib or bassinet. And if you can’t afford one, call the City of Milwaukee Health Department as we may be able to help: 414-286-8620.

Share:

  • Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Popular Interests In This Article: City of Milwaukee Health Department, Infant Deaths, Safe Sleep, SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Read More - Related Articles

  • Milwaukee Health Department COVID-19 Testing Hours for New Year’s Weekend
  • City of Milwaukee Issues Mask Advisory in Response to Omicron Variant
  • Leadership Shakeup Adds to Milwaukee Health Department’s Growing List of Challenges
  • Milwaukee Health Department Adjusts Testing Hours at American Family Field
  • The City of Milwaukee Phase 4.1 Order Update

View COVID-19 Resources

Become Our Fan On Facebook
Find Us On Facebook


Follow Us On Twitter
Follow Us On Twitter

Editorials

Lena Taylor
Lakeshia Myers
Rev Jesse Jackson Sr Ashanti Hamilton

Journalists

Mrinal Gokhale
Dylan Deprey
Karen Stokes
Hayley Crandall
Ana Martinez-Ortiz

Topics

Health Care & Wellness
Climate Change
Upcoming Events
Obituaries
Milwaukee NAACP

Politicians

Pres. Barack Obama
Gwen Moore
Tom Barrett
Milele A. Coggs
Spencer Coggs

Classifieds

Job Openings
Bid Requests
Req Proposals
Req Quotations
Apts For Rent

Contact Us

Milwaukee Courier
2003 W. Capitol Dr.
Milwaukee, WI 53206
Ph: 414.449.4860
Fax: 414.906.5383

Copyright © 2023 · Courier Communications | View Privacy Policy | Site built and maintained by Farrell Marketing Technology LLC
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.