Benchmark: Safe Sleep

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.

Featured Resource: Evidence-Based Practice

Healthy Child Care America Back to Sleep Campaign

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.

Healthy People 2020: Maternal, Infant, and Child Health

Healthy People provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. For three decades, Healthy People has established benchmarks for various health domains (such as MCH) and monitored progress to encourage collaboration across communities and sectors, empower individuals to make informed health decisions, and measure the impact of prevention activities.

Alcohol/Drug Services Backbone Organization Breastfeeding Budgeting Case Management/Care Coordination Chronic Disease Common Agenda Communication Community and Organizational Partnerships Community Engagement Community Needs Assessment Continuous Communication Contracting Cultural Competence Data Utilization Depression EBP Implementation Father/Partner Involvement Group Processes/Facilitation Health Equity Health Literacy Healthy Weight Home Visiting Human Resources Immunization Insurance Coverage Intimate Partner Violence Leadership Life Course Model Mutually Reinforcing Activities Nutrition Oral Health Other Parenting Education Participant Recruitment and Retention Partner Involvement Patient-centered Medical Home Policy Prenatal Care and Education Prevention Program evaluation Project Management Project Risk Project Schedule Project Scope Quality Improvement Reproductive Life Planning/Family Planning Risk Assessment Root Cause Analysis Safe Sleep Shared Measurement Social Determinants of Health Socio-emotional Development for Children STDs including HIV Strategic Planning Tobacco Cessation

National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health at Georgetown University

Provides national leadership to the MCH community around program development, as well as education and state-of-the-art knowledge, to improve the health and well-being of the nation’s children and families. Links to the Center’s MCH Library, National Action Plan to Promote Safe Sleep (NAPPSS), and Health Information Group.

Breastfeeding Early Elective Delivery Prenatal Care and Education Reproductive Life Planning/Family Planning

National Healthy Start Association (NHSA)

NHSA is committed to improving birth outcomes and health disparities that exist within communities of color throughout the US. As the membership association for Healthy Start programs nationwide, NHSA promotes the development of community-based maternal and child health programs, particularly those addressing the issues of infant mortality, low birth weight and racial disparities in perinatal outcomes.

Breastfeeding Early Elective Delivery Prenatal Care and Education Reproductive Life Planning/Family Planning

Zero to Three

A national nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals, and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development. The website includes resources on child development and behavior, early care and education, child maltreatment, and public policy.

Breastfeeding Early Elective Delivery Home Visiting Life Course Model Parenting Education Prenatal Care and Education Reproductive Life Planning/Family Planning Social Determinants of Health Socio-emotional Development for Children

Ask the Expert: Safe Sleep Best Practices – What Healthy Start Grantees Need to Know

This webinar will provide the most relevant information for Healthy Start grantees about the Safe to Sleep® Campaign and where they can go for more information and resources, such as the National Action Partnership for Promoting Safe Sleep (NAPPSS).

Webinar Materials:

Safe Sleep

Ask the Expert: The Happiest Baby: Can We Reduce Infant Crying, Boost Sleep, and Reduce Abuse, SUID, and PPD…for the Cost of Breakfast?

Crying and sleeplessness are two of the greatest challenges for new parents. Persistent crying and parental exhaustion are key triggers of infant neglect (associated with postpartum anxiety and depression) and other serious medical conditions, including SIDS/suffocation, over-diagnosis of GERD, breastfeeding failure, marital stress, parental smoking, car accidents, and possibly infant obesity.

In a paradigm shift, presenter Harvey Karp, MD, FAAP, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at USC School of Medicine, will discuss why newborns still need a protected environment (a 4th trimester) of holding and rhythmic stimulation to improve their state control and regulation.

Dr. Karp will present a novel theory that babies are born with a calming reflex (a relative off-switch for crying and on-switch for sleep) activated by imitating five specific aspects of the baby’s in-utero experience (swaddling, side/stomach, shushing, swinging, and sucking). The correct method for each step will be demonstrated and examples of fussy babies being calmed in this manner will be shown.

There will be a brief discussion of the thousands of Happiest Baby educators teaching this work in hospitals, home visiting programs, WWIC centers, military bases, etc. across the US. Recent studies will be presented, including an ongoing University of Amsterdam study of colicky babies demonstrating dramatic reduction in crying and increase in sleep and surveys showing significantly improved confidence in pregnant couples taught these techniques.

By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:

List 10 serious consequences triggered by infant crying and/or parental sleep deprivation.
Explain what is meant by the term “the missing 4th trimester”
Explain what is meant by the “calming reflex.”
List 5 techniques (the “5 S’s”) that activate the “calming reflex.”

Webinar Materials:

Depression Parenting Education Safe Sleep

Ask the Expert: An Overview of the HUG Your Baby Program

This webinar will provide an overview of the HUG Your Baby Program. It will also cover teaching strategies for boosting parent confidence, facilitating the parent-child relationship and promoting breastfeeding duration supported by literature. Opportunities to receive training and resources on the HUG Your Baby program will be shared.

Following this webinar, participants will be able to:

Provide an overview of the HUG Your Baby Program and how it can support Healthy Start grantees support parents in their programs
Find more information about HUG Your baby Training and resources

Webinar materials:

Breastfeeding Nutrition Parenting Education Safe Sleep

Partners for a Healthy Baby

Nationally recognized, research-based, practice-informed curriculum used by many home visiting models to meet their program goals including improving birth outcomes, reducing rates of child abuse, strengthening families, enhancing child health and developmental outcomes, and promoting family stability and economic self-sufficiency. The curriculum addresses issues of child health and development within the context of the multifaceted needs of expectant and parenting families. Five-volume book series for different stages in pregnancy/parenthood, accompanied by a set of handouts for the home visitor to use when planning visits. Handouts for families can be purchased in English or Spanish and help the home visitor introduce subjects that may otherwise be difficult to talk about.

Father/Partner Involvement Home Visiting Parenting Education

Healthy Native Babies Project Workbook Packet

A product of the Healthy Native Babies Project, this workbook packet explores ways to promote safe sleep messages and prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) among American Indian/Alaska Native infants. The contents of this workbook include handouts, a toolkit disk, and a toolkit user guide. Local health departments may use the toolkit to design culturally-appropriate posters, flyers, postcards, brochures, and other materials.