Month: October 2011

October is SIDS Awareness Month

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, also known as SIDS, is the name for sudden and unexplained death of an infant younger than a one year old. It is estimated that each year over 7,000 babies die from SIDS in the United States It strikes families of all races, ethnic and socioeconomic origins. Determining the cause of SIDS baffles scientist all over the world. Even though we don’t have solid answers yet, doctors have isolated several risk factors that may play a role in SIDS, such as: stress in a normal baby, caused by infection or other factors, a birth defect, failure to develop and or a period of rapid growth when babies are especially vulnerable.

Ways to prevent SIDS:

–          Place babies on their back to sleep- this is the safest position for a baby to sleep in, placing them on their stomachs or sides nearly doubles the risk of SIDS.

–          Avoid sleeping with your baby in the same bed – even if it’s just a day nap.

–          Avoid smoking cigarettes during and after your pregnancy ,  protect your baby from second-hand smoke

–          Keep soft objects, toys, and loose bedding out of your baby’s sleeping area- those items could potentially cover your baby’s face and cause suffocation.

–          Place your baby on the firm surface, such as safety-approved crib mattress cover with fitted sheet

–          Avoid letting your baby overheat during sleep- Dress your baby in light sleep clothing and keep room at a temperature that is comfortable for an adult.

–          Make sure that your baby can move arms and legs freely during sleep.

For more information about crib safety visit: http://www.cpsc.gov/

To learn more about SIDS click on the link below:

http://www.babycenter.com/baby-sleep-safety


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Important:
The Sleep Blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Instead, this website provides general information for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified health care provider if you have questions or concerns regarding any medical condition or treatment.

Napping During the Day Can Benefit Children’s Vocabulary.

Taking naps during the day allows kids to memorize abstract information. Children less than a year-and a half old organize the structure of language and other information supplied by their everyday environment during nap time.

Regular naps at a young age are no waste of time claims psychologist Dr. Almut Hupbach, co-author of research conducted at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Children who take naps soon after learning are able to better grasp the essence of language structure.

In the first phase of the study researchers visited the homes of 24 healthy 15 month old babies. The experimenter played a 15-minute recording of a woman reading sentences in an artificially created, non-existent language while interacting with the infant. The recording contained 48 sequences requiring the child to track sequential dependencies between first and third word in the three word sentences (e.g. Pel-wadim-jic, vot-kicey rud, pel-deecha-jic). All children were then put to bed 4 hours after the visit. The next day, parents brought the infants to the lab and sat them in front of two speakers that alternatively played familiar and new sequences. The children clearly remembered, listen attentively and responded more vigurosly to the structure of the entire sequence from an earlier session than at the single word of the new sequence.

The second phase of the experiment also included 24 healthy 15 month old infants that listed to the same recording of the artificial language but did not fall asleep in the next 4 hours. Tested the next day the children showed no differences in behavior, regardless of weather the recording was already known to them, or completely new.

The team, which in addition to Dr. Hupbach included Professor Lynn Nadel, Dr. Rebbeca L. Gomez, and Dr. Richard R. Bootzin, concluded that sleep plays a beneficial role for a variety of cognitive functions during infancy. Taking naps contributes to the development of learning ability and memory in infants.

To read the full study on Nap-dependent learning in infants, click on the link below

http://web.arizona.edu/~tigger/Hupbach-Gomez-Bootzin-Nadel-sleep-09.pdf

 

 

 

 

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Important:
The Sleep Blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Instead, this website provides general information for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified health care provider if you have questions or concerns regarding any medical condition or treatment.