National SIDS Awareness Month: Spotlight on NISSA

According to the Northwest Infant Survival and SIDS Alliance, SIDS claims the lives of 2,500 infants in the U.S. each year. To honor National SIDS Awareness Month, DEL would like to remind the public of important resources that are currently available to Washington parents.

The Northwest Infant Survival and SIDS Alliance (NISSA) hosts a website that is loaded with valuable and educational resources for families, grieving parents, child care providers and more.

One of the organizations most valuable resources is their Safe Sleep Tips. Here are a few of the tips provided online:

• Infants should always be placed on their backs for sleep.
• Infants are safest in their own sleep environment.
• A firm crib mattress covered by a sheet is the recommended sleeping surface.
• Keep all soft objects and loose bedding out of the crib.
• Do not smoke during pregnancy or around infants.
• Wedges and "positioners" should not be used.
• Consider offering your infant a pacifier at naps and bedtime.
• Dressing babies too warmly may cause them to overheat. They can sleep comfortably in light clothing.
• Avoid commercial devices marketed to reduce the risk of SIDS. None have been proven safe or effective.

Krista Cossalter Sandberg, Executive Director of the Northwest Infant Survival and SIDS Alliance notes,

"The biggest issue in sleep related infant death is currently co-sleeping."

NISSA dedicates a section of their website to the University of Washington research regarding safe sleep, including a publication about bedsharing.

Sleeping in the same space as your child or children can be done safely, according to the University of Notre Dame, but doctors warn the public of risks. Check out their guide on how to safely co-sleep.

Dr. James J. McKenna of the University of Notre Dame states,

"Aside from never letting an infant sleep outside the presence of a committed adult, i.e. separate-surface co-sleeping which is safe for all infants, I do not recommend to any parents any particular type of sleeping arrangement since I do not know the circumstances within which particular parents live. What I do recommend is to consider all of the possible choices and to become as informed as is possible matching what you learn with what you think can work the best for you and your family."

NISSA currently works with DEL's licensed providers to promote safe sleep practices throughout the state. The organization sent safe sleep information, WAC (Washington Administrative Code) regulations and AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) guidelines as well as a poster with a safe sleep environment image to every child care provider in Washington.

The AAP has been instrumental in the development of DEL's safe sleep training and guidelines. For more information about those, go here: DEL Safe Sleep.

NISSA offers various ways you can get involved in their organization, including an upcoming dinner and auction: "An Evening of Courage and Hope." There are other ways to volunteer as well. To find out more, visit their site here: Volunteer.

 

DEL's Safe Sleep Update: Ways to Give Feedback

On Tuesday July 14, DEL released it's plan to update current licensing regulations regarding infant safe sleep practices in licensed child care settings.

At the beginning of February,  DEL filed a pre-proposal statement of inquiry requesting consideration of changes  needed to update licensing rules related to infant safe sleep practices for licensed family home child care providers and child care centers. 

DEL is able to consult the American Academy of Pediatrics as they have developed several recommendations for safe sleep guides. The latest research and best practices have identified the need for:

• additional licensee and staff training,
• changes to record-keeping documentation and violation notification requirements,
• updates to program policy handbooks and
• new rules for infant sleeping equipment and bedding.

The American Academy of Pediatrics refers parents to healthychildren.org, specifically this article, last updated in May, regarding safe sleep.

DEL is proposing rule changes to update health and safety standards related to infant safe sleep practices for licensed family home child care providers (WAC 170-296A) and child care centers (WAC 170-295). Click the previous links to see the suggested changes to the Washington Administrative Code (WAC)--the standard by which licensors monitor providers in Washington State.

Ways to Give Feedback 

Below are the methods available to the public for comment on proposed rules. 

1. Attend a Public Hearing: 

For: Licensed Family Home Child Care Providers 

When: Tuesday, August 4, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. 

Where:Department of Early Learning - State Office 1110 Jefferson Street SE Olympia, WA 98501 

For: Licensed Child Care Centers 

When: Wednesday, August 5, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. 

Where:Department of Early Learning - State Office 1110 Jefferson Street SE Olympia, WA 98501 

2. Give your input in writing by midnight Wednesday, August 5, 2015: 

Online: DEL Rules Comment Webpage 

Email: Rules@del.wa.gov Fax: 360-725-4925 

Mail: DEL Rules Coordinator PO Box 40970 Olympia, WA 98504-0970 

Only input received at the public hearings or in writing as noted above will become part of the official record. Everyone who provides input on this proposal will receive the DEL’s combined written response known as the Concise Explanatory Statement. The statement will also be posted on the DEL website and is available to anyone who asks for it by writing to the DEL.

DEL to Issue Updated Safe Sleep Guidelines

The Washington State Department of Early Learning (DEL) is in the process of updating safe sleep guidelines, policies and procedures for licensors to use when licensing child care centers and family home providers.

“We are happy to revisit our current policy and procedures regarding safe sleep, and to consistently apply the most effective guidelines possible to our licensing work,” said Mary Kay Quinlan, DEL’s Early Learning and Child Care Statewide Licensing Administrator. “We want licensed care providers, parents and the public to have access to training and to continually practice safe sleep guidelines to promote the safety of children throughout Washington.”

DEL’s website was recently updated with safe sleep training modules (in both English and Spanish), and new Washington Administrative Code (WAC) sections regarding safe sleep in child care have been drafted  and filed to reflect the most up-to-date guidelines for safe sleep. After public input, the new WAC regarding safe sleep should be approved by the end of the summer.

DEL’s training explains the importance of protecting infants during a crucial time of their development, and also allows providers, parents and the public to learn about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and what you can do to reduce the risk of SIDS with recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics, focusing on a safe sleep environment. Resources to print out are included in these training modules.

The updated guidelines will state that infant safe sleep practices must be followed when infants are napping or sleeping. In child care (either at a center or at a family home setting), staff must do the following when practicing safe sleep in accordance with the updated WAC:

• Place an infant to sleep on his or her back. If the infant has turned over while sleeping, the infant does not need to be returned to his or her back;
• Not allow blankets, stuffed toys, pillows, crib bumpers and similar items in the infant sleeping equipment, or allow a blanket to cover or drape over the sleeping equipment;
• Not cover an infant’s head and face during sleep;
• Take steps so infants do not get too warm during sleep with the infant’s arms free; and
• Not place the infant in another sleeping position other than on their back, or use a sleep positioning device unless required by a written directive or medical order from the infant’s health care provider. This directive or medical order must be in the infant’s file.

In the proposed WAC update, child care staff at a licensed facility who work with infants must complete annual safe sleep training and document this training annually. If a violation occurs, the provider must post notice of the violation in the licensed space and within five working days of receiving the notice, provide parents and guardians of the enrolled child with a letter describing the sleep violation and written information on safe sleep practices.  

To read the full listing of current child care licensing requirements, click here. To view the portion of DEL's site dedicated to public commentary on safe sleep policy update, click here.

Educate Yourself About Safe Sleep

Thousands of infants die suddenly and unexpectedly each year in the U.S. The medical term for these deaths is sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Although the causes of death in many of these children can’t be explained, most occur while the infant is sleeping in an unsafe sleeping environment.

Researchers are not sure how often these deaths happen because of accidental suffocation from bedding or overlay (another person rolling on top of or against the infant while sleeping). Commonly, these deaths occur during unsupervised sleeping time. There are currently no tests to tell SIDS apart from suffocation.

Research shows parents and caregivers can take the following actions to help reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant (less than 1 year old) death:

• Always place babies on their backs to sleep for every sleep.
• Use a firm sleep surface, such as a mattress in a safety-approved crib, covered by a fitted sheet.
• Have the baby share your room, not your bed. Your baby should not sleep in an adult bed, on a couch, or on a chair alone, with you, or with anyone else.
• Keep soft objects, such as pillows and loose bedding out of your baby’s sleep area.
• Prevent exposure to smoking during pregnancy and after birth because these are important risk factors for SIDS. The risk of SIDS is even stronger when a baby shares a bed with a smoker. To reduce risk, do not smoke during pregnancy, and do not smoke or allow smoking around your baby.

Another great resource for caregivers and parents is DEL's training video. This training outlines the differences and similarities between SUID and SIDS, myths and facts about these causes of infant death and additional tools to help inform and instruct the public about safe sleep.

Also in the video is an in-depth exploration of safe sleep tactics such as placing infants on their backs versus placing babies on their stomachs to sleep--referencing the "Back to Sleep" campaign of 1992. 

This training explains the importance of protecting infants during a crucial time of their development. Learn about SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death; what you can do to reduce the risk of SIDS with recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics, focusing on a safe sleep environment.

While the topic of SIDS and SUID is complex and sensitive, it is important for parents and caregivers to educate themselves on research and best practices to promote safe sleep. If you are responsible for an infant, consider reputable resources such as the Center for Disease Control site and research-based campaigns such as the "Protect the Ones You Love" initiative and the "Safe to Sleep" education program with helpful graphics like the one below.