SIDS Alert:
Blacks urged to put babies
to sleep on their backs

A national "safe sleep" campaign is urging African American parents to put babies to sleep on their backs. Only 31 percent do so now.

Black babies are twice as likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome as other babies, according to a 1998 study. Putting an infant to sleep on the side or stomach raises risks of SIDS.

The campaign by the Consumer Product Safety Commission seeks to break that baby care practice and others - now considered unsafe - handed down from grandmother to mother to daughter.

Ads on black cable television and safety-oriented "baby showers" at community health centers will highlight the effort.

The commission's "safe sleep" campaign will air public service announcements during prime viewing times on Black Entertainment Television and work with the network on news stories about SIDS.

"There's an information gap that needs to be addressed," said CPSC Commissioner Ann Brown.

Black parents were more likely than other parents to place children on their stomachs and sides and have pillows and other soft bedding in cribs, the survey showed. Soft bedding may contribute to as many as 900 SIDS deaths a year.

More than 70 percent of blacks said they feared babies would choke in vomit if placed on their backs. Doctors used to advise putting babies on their stomachs to prevent choking, but now know that they might smother in that position.

Three thousand government-funded health centers that serve minorities also will distribute literature to patients and work with state and local health departments.

In 1998,  2,529 babies died of SIDS, a rate of 64 deaths per 100,000 live births. For blacks, the number of SIDS deaths was 782, a rate of 128 per 100,000 live births.

Government campaigns to persuade parents to place children on their backs has helped cut the SIDS rate by 40 percent since the early 1990s.

The latest CPSC campaign, funded by Gerber Products Co., recommended several steps for babies under 12 months:

1. Place babies on their backs on firm, tight-fitting mattresses.
2. Remove all pillows, quilts, comforters and sheepskins from cribs.
3. Consider using a sleeper as an alternative to blankets
4. If using a blanket, use a thin one and tuck it around the mattress so it reaches only as far as the baby's chest.
5. Make sure the baby's head remains uncovered.
6. Never put babies to sleep on a waterbed, sofa, soft mattress, pillow or other soft surface.