Infants should sleep on their backs: pediatric group

BOSTON - Putting babies to sleep on their backs on a firm crib mattress in the same room as the parents is among an list of safe sleep guidelines for infants released on Tuesday.

The American Academy of Pediatrics first said in 1992 that infants should be placed in a non-prone position for sleeping to curb sudden infant deaths.

The latest report recommends infants sleep wholly on their back for every sleep, noting that side sleeping is unsafe. Some supervised awake-time spent on the tummy is recommended.

A series of 18 recommendations from the academy are intended to help guide parents, health care 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 soft objects and loose bedding like quilts, pillows and even bumper pads not be kept in cribs.

Infants should not regularly have routine sleep time in sitting devices like 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.