“Mobile County is particularly affected by safe sleep issues,” said Bondora, who also coordinates the Alabama Baby Coalition. “We need to do everything we can to make sure infants and babies are always safe when they sleep.”
This Saturday, on Sept. 28, beginning at 9 a.m., six separate “Baby Buggy Walk in the Park” events are planned in the Mobile area to encourage families to take part in a short one-mile walk. Free T-shirts will be available for the first 50 participants at each location. Bottled water and educational materials also will be provided, organizers said.
New parents, grandparents and those who care for babies are encouraged to take part. The events will be at the following locations: Cottage Hill Park; Three Mile Creek – Triennial Park; Municipal Park; Public Safety Memorial Park; McNally Park and Lavretta Park.
The walks are taking place in conjunction with National Infant Mortality Awareness Month, a time of year when health care providers typically reflect on the risk factors that increase infant mortality while also working on programs dedicated to reducing those risks.
Preliminary local data indicates that 2012 would likely show an increase in the number of infant deaths in Mobile County, Bondora said: “Final numbers are not yet known but a substantial increase in cases is very likely.”
Infants should sleep in the parent’s room in their own bed or crib, completely alone with no pillows, blankets or stuffed animals. A good alternative to bed sharing is to place the infant’s crib or cradle near the parent’s or caregiver’s bed.
Sleep-related deaths include suffocation, roll-over deaths caused when a parent or another child rolls on top of an infant, sudden unexplained death in infancy, also known as SUDI, and improper sleep position. In 2011, 44 infants died in Mobile County before their first birthday. That was up slightly from 2010 when 43 infants died.
Health providers recommend that children younger than 12 months old sleep in a bed or crib alone with no other children, adults or pets. It’s also critical that parents make sure babysitters and caregivers know to place infants on their backs to sleep. Research shows that infants placed on their stomachs who are accustomed to sleeping on their backs are at greater risk of dying, Bondora said.
The Alabama Baby Coalition is working to make Mobile a safer place to be a baby by partnering with local hospitals, medical and social services providers. For more information about the coalition, call 251-694-5007 or visit www.alabamababycoalition.org.
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