24 May Finnish-Style Baby Box Reduced Parent-Baby Bed Sharing

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Heere

Megan Heere, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Medical Director
Temple University Hospital Well Baby Nursery
Temple Pediatric Care
Philadelphia, PA 19140

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Bed-sharing, the unsafe practice in which parents sleep in the same bed as their babies, is associated with sleep-related deaths in infants, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed. No studies have examined the effect of a Finnish-style baby box on infant sleep environment. Face-to-face postpartum education about safe infant sleep, combined with the distribution of a baby box, which is a cardboard bassinet, reduced the rates of bed-sharing during babies’ first 8 days of life.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: The research team found that:
• Face-to-face sleep education and providing a baby box with a firm mattress and fitted sheet reduced the rate of bed-sharing by 25% in the first eight days of life.
• For exclusively breastfed infants, a population at increased risk of bed-sharing, bed-sharing was reduced by 50%.
• Of the mothers who received the baby box, a majority said they used the box as a sleeping place for their infants.
• Of the mothers who received the baby box, 12% said they used the box as the primary or usual sleeping space for their infants.
• Of the mothers who exclusively breastfed and also used the box as a sleeping space, 59% said the box made breastfeeding easier.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: Future studies are needed to determine if the effect of this intervention is sustainable through the first 6 to 12 months of life, and if this intervention can significantly reduce the incidence of sleep-related death in large populations over time.

No disclosures

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Citation:

Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting presentation

Sleep Awareness Family Education- SAFE-T Program

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.

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Last Updated on May 24, 2017 by Marie Benz MD FAAD