Increase proportion of Healthy Start women participants who engage in safe sleep practices to 80%.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all babies be placed on their backs for every sleep time because this practice has been shown to reduce the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Additional safe sleep strategies that can decrease the risk of infant death by asphyxia/suffocation include use of a firm sleep surface free of soft objects or loose bedding, room-sharing without bed-sharing, and sleeping in a smoke-free environment.
A Performance Measure Resource Sheet is available summarizing recommended strategies and a selection of resources and evidence-based practices related to this benchmark to aid Healthy Start grantee organizations, partners and their staff in supporting the women and families they serve.
Aims to promote the health and safety of infants in childcare settings by providing education and outreach to child care providers regarding safe sleep recommendations. Offers a free, 1 hour online course designed to educate everyone who cares for babies on creating a safe sleep environment to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep related deaths. Includes promotional materials and brochures, and a presentation that can be used by health care professionals or anyone presenting on SIDS in childcare settings.
Often referred to as “The Fourth Trimester,” the weeks after birth are a critical time for a woman and her infant, setting the stage for long-term health and well-being. This comprehensive toolkit, with an introduction by Dr. Haywood Brown, includes extensive resources on the key components of postpartum care, including support for new mothers, reproductive life planning, infant care, counseling for substance use, long-term weight management, and many more pertinent topics. It also features a sample postpartum checklist for women to complete.
This toolkit is a practical, hands-on resource designed to promote culturally effective services for children and families. It consists of nine brief “chapters” addressing health literacy and cultural differences in areas such as health beliefs and practices, infant care and feeding, the role of women, and child behavior and discipline. Each of the brief narratives is accompanied by a list of resources, including links to supplemental reading, patient education materials in multiple languages, checklists, assessments, and more.
This series of learning modules is designed for a range of health professionals, human service providers, community health workers, home visitors, and peer supporters who interact with families on topics of safe sleep and breastfeeding. The modules are designed to help users understand the Conversations Approach and gain the knowledge and skills needed to implement it to promote breastfeeding and safe sleep practices. Modules cover: A New Approach, How Babies Sleep and Eat, Understanding Current Recommendations, Anticipating Reluctance and Refusal, Respectful Dialogue and Structure of a Conversation,Creating Plans to Support Family Decisions, and Putting It All Together to Make a Difference.
This webpage offers resources for providers and families on safe sleep practices. Resources for providers include the AAP Policy Statement: SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2016 Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment. Resources for families include a videos, posters and infographics on safe sleep practices.
This interactive toolkit allows users to learn from participants in the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network to Reduce Infant Mortality (Infant Mortality CoIIN). The resource is organized by topics from the initiative, including social determinants of health, pre- and interconception care, risk-appropriate prenatal care, pre- and early- term births, smoking cessation, and safe sleep practices. It features change ideas, model programs, videos, and key insights from teams who are working to reduce infant mortality throughout the country.
This interactive toolkit allows users to learn from participants in the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network to Reduce Infant Mortality (Infant Mortality CoIIN). The resource is organized by topics from the initiative, including social determinants of health, pre- and interconception care, risk-appropriate prenatal care, pre- and early- term births, smoking cessation, and safe sleep practices. It features change ideas, model programs, videos, and key insights from teams who are working to reduce infant mortality throughout the country.
Moms2B provides weekly education and support sessions for expectant mothers to promote healthy lifestyle choices and link women with support services. Topics covered include: breastfeeding, child development, family planning, goal setting, prenatal labor and delivery, maternal-infant health, positive parenting, reproductive health, and safe sleep. Moms2B is provided free of charge, with transportation assistance, on-site childcare and a hot, healthy meal. Ohio State University and community social service organizations support Moms2B participants with ongoing access to healthcare providers, lactation counselors, social workers, parenting educators and community health workers. The Moms2B program is based on an evidence-based pilot curriculum shown to increase breastfeeding and improve infant health.
Family Spirit is an evidence-based early childhood home-visiting program designed for and by American Indian communities. Family Spirit combines the use of paraprofessionals from the community as home visitors and a culturally focused, strengths-based curriculum as a core strategy to support young families. From pregnancy through the child’s 3rd birthday, parents gain knowledge and skills to promote healthy development and positive lifestyles for themselves and their children. Family Spirit addresses intergenerational behavioral health problems, optimizes local cultural assets, and overcomes deficits in the professional health care workforce in low resource communities. Evidence from three randomized controlled trials has documented important results including: increased parenting knowledge and involvement; decreased maternal depression; increased home safety; decreased emotional and behavioral problems of mothers; and decreased emotional and behavioral problems of children. The Family Spirit curriculum modules cover: Prenatal Care, Infant Care, Your Growing Child, Toddler Care, My Family and Me, and Healthy Living.
Baby Basics is a set of materials (book, planner, posters) and programs designed specifically to provide lower-income and lower-literacy populations with crucial prenatal health information and support. The materials are designed to be beautiful and easy to read, serving as a catalyst for learning and family literacy. Both materials and programs strive to engage and educate underserved parents to become effective users of the healthcare system and advocate for themselves and their families.