News

 

Reduce the Risk of SIDS

 

I know it's best to put my baby to sleep on his back, but what else can I do to reduce the risk of SIDS?

Many infants die during sleep from unsafe sleep environments. Some of these deaths are from entrapment, suffocation, and strangulation. Some infants die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). However, there are ways for parents to keep their sleeping baby safe.

 

Read on for more information from the American Academy of Pediatrics on how parents can create a safe sleep environment for their babies. This information should also be shared with anyone who cares for babies, including grandparents, family, friends, babysitters, and child care centers.

 

What you can do

• Place your baby to sleep on his back for every sleep.
  Babies up to 1 year of age should always be placed on their backs to sleep during naps and at night. However, if your baby has rolled from his back to his side or stomach on his own, he can be left in that position if he is already able to roll from tummy to back and back to tummy. If your baby falls asleep in a car safety seat, stroller, swing, infant carrier, or infant sling he should be moved to a firm sleep surface as soon as possible.
• Place your baby to sleep on a firm sleep surface.
  The crib, bassinet, portable crib, or play yard should meet current safety standards. Check to make sure the product has not been recalled. Do not use a crib that is broken or missing parts, or has drop-side rails. Cover the mattress that comes with the product with a fitted sheet. Do not put blankets or pillows between the mattress and the fitted sheet. Never put your baby to sleep on a chair, sofa, water bed, cushion, or sheepskin. For more information about crib safety standards, visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site at www.cpsc.gov.
• Keep soft objects, loose bedding, or any objects that could increase the risk of entrapment, suffocation, or strangulation out of the crib.
  Pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, bumper pads, and stuffed toys can cause your baby to suffocate. Note: Research has not shown us when it’s 100% safe to have these objects in the crib; however, most experts agree that after 12 months of age these objects pose little risk to healthy babies.
• Place your baby to sleep in the same room where you sleep but not the same bed.
  Keep the crib or bassinet within an arm’s reach of your bed. You can easily watch or breastfeed your baby by having your baby nearby. Babies who sleep in the same bed as their parents are at risk of SIDS, suffocation, or strangulation. Parents can roll onto babies during sleep or babies can get tangled in the sheets or blankets.
• Breastfeed as much and for as long as you can.
  Studies show that breastfeeding your baby can help reduce the risk of SIDS.
• Schedule and go to all well-child visits.
  Your baby will receive important immunizations. Recent evidence suggests that immunizations may have a protective effect against SIDS.
• Keep your baby away from smokers and places where people smoke.
  If you smoke, try to quit. However, until you can quit, keep your car and home smoke-free. Don’t smoke inside your home or car and don’t smoke anywhere near your baby, even if you are outside.
• Do not let your baby get too hot.
  Keep the room where your baby sleeps at a comfortable temperature. In general, dress your baby in no more than one extra layer than you would wear. Your baby may be too hot if she is sweating or if her chest feels hot. If you are worried that your baby is cold, infant sleep clothing designed to keep babies warm without the risk of covering their heads can be used.
• Offer a pacifier at nap time and bedtime.
  This helps to reduce the risk of SIDS. It’s OK if your baby doesn’t want to use a pacifier. You can try offering a pacifier again, but some babies don’t like to use pacifiers. If your baby takes the pacifier and it falls out after he falls asleep, you don’t have to put it back in.
• Do not use home cardiorespiratory monitors to help reduce the risk of SIDS.
  Home cardiorespiratory monitors can be helpful for babies with breathing or heart problems but they have not been found to reduce the risk of SIDS.
• Do not use products that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS.
  Products such as wedges, positioners, special mattresses, and specialized sleep surfaces have not been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS. In addition, some infants have suffocated while using these products.

 

What expectant moms can do

• Schedule and go to all prenatal doctor visits.
• Do not smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs while pregnant and after birth.
  Stay away from smokers and places where people smoke.

 

Remember Tummy Time

• Give your baby plenty of “tummy time” when she is awake.
  This will help strengthen neck muscles and avoid flat spots on the head. Always stay with your baby during tummy time and make sure she is awake.

 

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New Car Safety Seat Recommendations

 

HealthyChildren.org Updates Car Safety Seat Information
to Reflect New AAP Guidelines

 

As you may be aware, an updated AAP policy addressing the use of car safety seats was released today. The new policy advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.

 

Several articles on HealthyChildren.org have been updated to reflect the new policy, including

 

Car Safety Seats: A Guide for Families 2011

Car Safety Seats Product Listing for 2011

Car Safety Seat Check Up

Air Bag Safety

 

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Myths and Facts about the Flu

Flu season is now upon us and fever is one of its most common symptoms. Unless your child is less than 2 months of age, most fevers are simply a sign that your child’s immune system is doing its job. For a temperature greater than 100.4 F in a child less than two months call us immediately. Otherwise the following information is helpful to avoid common misconceptions about fever. Many parents needlessly worry when their child has a fever. This is called fever phobia. Overall, fevers are harmless. Let the following facts help you put fever into perspective:

MYTH: My child feels warm, so she has a fever.

FACT: Children can feel warm for a many reasons such as playing hard, crying, getting out of a warm bed or being outside on a hot day. They are “giving off heat”. Their skin temperature should return to normal in 10 to 20 minutes. Once these causes are excluded, about 80% of children who feel warm and act sick actually have a fever. If you want to be sure, take their temperature. The following are the cutoffs for fever using different types of thermometers:

• Rectal, ear or temporal artery thermometers: 100.4° F (38.0° C) or higher
• Oral thermometers: 100° F (37.8° C) or higher
• Under the arm (Axillary or Armpit) temperatures: 99° F (37.2° C) or higher

 

MYTH: All fevers are bad for children.

FACT: Fevers turn on the body's immune system and help the body fight infection. Fevers are one of the body's protective mechanisms. Normal fevers between 100° and 104° F (37.8° - 40° C) are actually good for sick children.

 

MYTH: Fevers above 104° F (40° C) are dangerous and can cause brain damage.

FACT: Fevers with infections don't cause brain damage. Only body temperatures above 108° F (42° C) can cause brain damage. The body temperature climbs this high only with extreme environmental temperatures (for example, if a child is confined to a closed car in hot weather).

 

MYTH: Anyone can have a febrile seizure (seizure triggered by fever).

FACT: Only 4% of children can have a febrile seizure.

 

MYTH: Febrile seizures are harmful.

FACT: Febrile seizures are scary to watch, but they usually stop within 5 minutes. They cause no permanent harm. Children who have had febrile seizures do not have a greater risk for developmental delays, learning disabilities, or seizures without fever.

 

MYTH: All fevers need to be treated with fever medicine.

FACT: Fevers only need to be treated if they cause discomfort. Usually fevers don't cause any discomfort until they go above 102° or 103° F (39° or 39.5° C).

 

MYTH: Without treatment, fevers will keep going higher.

FACT: Wrong. Because the brain has a thermostat, fevers from infection usually don't go above 103° or 104° F (39.5°- 40° C). They rarely go to 105° or 106° F (40.6° or 41.1° C). While the latter are "high" fevers, they are harmless ones.

 

MYTH: I should give my child a cold bath or sponge him with alcohol to speed the reduction in fever.

FACT: These techniques should NOT be used. They do nothing to treat the child’s core temperature, can be dangerous, and are uncomfortable for your child.

 

MYTH: With treatment, fevers should come down to normal.

FACT: With treatment, fevers usually come down 2° or 3° F (1° or 1.5° C).

 

MYTH: If the fever doesn't come down (if you can't "break the fever"), the cause is serious.

FACT: Fevers that don't respond to fever medicine can be caused by viruses or bacteria. It doesn't relate to the seriousness of the infection. The main reason the fever doesn’t respond is usually due to inadequate dosing of fever reducers.

 

MYTH: Once the fever comes down with medicines, it should stay down.

FACT: The fever will normally last for 2 or 3 days with most viral infections. Therefore, when the fever medicine wears off, the fever will return and need to be treated again. The fever will go away and not return once your child’s body overpowers the virus (usually by the fourth day). You should call if your child has had a fever more that 3 or 4 days or if they have a specific symptom which needs to be addressed such as an earache or sore throat.

 

MYTH: If the fever is high, the cause is serious.

FACT: If the fever is high, the cause may or may not be serious. If your child looks very sick, the cause is more likely to be serious. Conversely, if your child acts fine the cause is likely to be less serious.

 

MYTH: Oral temperatures between 98.7° and 100° F (37.1° to 37.8° C) are low-grade fevers.

FACT: These temperatures are normal variations. The body's temperature normally changes throughout the day. It peaks in the late afternoon and evening. An actual low-grade fever is 100° F to 102° F (37.8° - 39° C).

 

SUMMARY: Remember that fever is fighting off your child's infection. Fever is one of the good guys.