FAIRMONT– This week is Infant Safe Sleep Week in Minnesota and while the Minnesota Department of Health provides information to families on the importance of babies sleeping alone, one their back and in a crib, so too do local agencies including Health and Human Services of Faribault and Martin Counties.

Alyssa Johnson, a family health supervisor with public health, said, “at our agency we provide safe sleep education to families that are interested.”

She said they also work with Cradle of Hope, which partners with agencies throughout the state. Through Cradle of Hope, public health is able to offer free, portable cribs along with education to help prevent sudden unexpected infant death which Johnson said almost always happens in unsafe sleep environments.

“We like to be able to provide a safe place for babies to sleep,” Johnson said.

She said, per MDH, that there’s approximately 50 otherwise healthy babies that die each year in sleep-related unintentional injuries while sleeping in unsafe sleeping environments, which is why it’s important to provide families with education.

“While there’s no definite way to prevent SIDS, there are ways to help your baby sleep more safely,” Johnson said.

One big thing both the state and local public health stress to parents is the ABC acronym, which comes from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

It stands for Alone– infants should always sleep or nap alone– not in beds or cribs together. They should always lie on their Back to sleep or nap and in a Crib. Babies should always sleep or nap in their own crib free of blankets or pillows.

Johnson provided some other tips that they share with families.

“It’s been shown that if you breastfeed your baby for at least six months until they’re 12 months old it will also held reduce the risk (of sudden unexpected infant death),” Johnson said.

Getting good, early prenatal care, avoiding smoking and other drugs will also help.

“Another tip we like to share is room-sharing. Having your baby in the same room as you prevents them from getting into that very, very deep sleep and it can also make breastfeeding easier,” Johnson explained.

She stressed that a separate sleeping space is still needed, but that the baby can be in the same room as the parents.

“We also suggested using a safe swaddle or sleep sack. Those are safety tested as long as they’re used per the guidelines usually provided when you purchase it,” Johnson said.

She said a tip for Minnesotans is that you want to dress your baby in one more layer of clothing than what an adult would find comfortable. While you don’t want to overdress your baby, Johnson said babies should wear one additional layer when sleeping as they shouldn’t have a blanket with them.

In closing, Johnson asked that families always remember the ABCs when putting their babies to sleep.

“I know unfortunately there’s not always the best outcome, so our agency also works with the Star Legacy Foundation which helps aid grief and loss support to families so that’s always an option we want to share about,” Johnson said.

More information on Cradle of Hope can be found on cradleofhope.org.