To ensure optimal infant care practices and strategies and to reduce Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) Ngala complies with Red Nose Safe Sleeping education messages.
While the rates of SUDI has reduced due to safe sleep practice, 3200 Australian babies and children die annually from sudden and unexpected death.
At Ngala our practice messages for families include:
- adult sleep environments do not have infant safety in mind. Ngala does not recommend bed sharing or co-sleeping. Red Nose states the safest place to sleep a baby is in their own safe sleeping place in the same room as an adult care giver.
- following safe wrapping principles
Key guiding points for parents and carers when wrapping babies include:
- Wrapping and placing babies on their back provides stability and keeps babies in the recommended back position
- When wrapping allow for hip flexion and chest wall expansion (wrapping tight and straight can lead to complication where a child has clicky hips or congenital hip dysplacia)
- Discontinue wrapping as soon as a child shows sign of attempting to roll
It is also very important to remember the sleeping environment which the child is placed in. Some key takeaways to always note are:
- Soft toys or attachment objects are not recommended to be used in sleeping spaces until after a child is 7 months old (or older for premature babies)
- Positioning aids or interventions are not recommended as these have been associated with infant deaths
- Modified cots or prams no longer comply with Australian standards and are not part of Ngala practice or recommendations. There is no Australian standard for rocking cradles therefore these are not recommended.
- To ensure safe sleeping, the Australian Government and Red Nose recommend children do not wear anything around their neck until after 3 years of age. This includes amber teething necklaces.
A complete list of Red Nose information statements is available here.
If you are a parent or carer and need a private consultation on the best sleep practice for your child, you can contact the Ngala Parenting Line at (08) 9368 9368 (Metro) or 1800 111 546 (Regional).