Half of Mothers Do Not Exclusively Place Infants in the Supine Sleep Position

Positioning practices are influenced by provider guidance, perceived control by mothers over infant placement, and persistent positive attitudes about the prone sleep position.

Since the “Back-to-Sleep” campaign was initiated in 1994 by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other child health organizations to promote supine sleep positioning for infants, rates of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) have fallen, but thousands of infant deaths have still occurred every year. To further reinforce the “Back-to-Sleep” recommendations, the AAP published guidelines in 2005 advising that infants be placed exclusively in the supine position for sleeping.

Now, to examine whether infant sleep positioning practices have changed since the AAP guidelines were released, investigators conducted a survey between 2011 and 2014 of a nationally representative sample of more than 3000 mothers of infants aged 2 to 6 months who de…

Reviewing Author

Jenny Radesky, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMelissa & Doug Toys (Consultant and Board of Directors)

Grant/Research SupportNational Institute for Child Health and Development; National Institutes of Health

Jenny Radesky, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMelissa & Doug Toys (Consultant and Board of Directors)

Grant/Research SupportNational Institute for Child Health and Development; National Institutes of Health

Half of Mothers Do Not Exclusively Place Infants in the Supine Sleep Position

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Reviewing Author