INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Health is urging parents to take steps to protect their infants following a surge this month of deaths caused by unsafe sleep environments.

The state has been alerted to more than 10 infant deaths related to unsafe sleep in August.

Indiana typically averages two such cases a week over the course of a year. Suffocation caused by unsafe sleep environments is the third leading cause of death for all Indiana infants.

Unsafe situations often involve co-sleeping with an adult (such as in a bed), blankets and pillows in the baby’s crib, or the baby being placed on his or her stomach to sleep.

In Indiana between 2015-2019, 36% of unsafe sleep deaths occurred during naptime, so it’s essential to sleep in a safe place every time.

“I can’t stress enough how important it is to place babies in a safe sleep environment,” said State Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver, M.D., FACEP. “These tragic deaths are preventable and can have a profound impact on communities.”

Babies should be placed to sleep following the ABCs of safe sleep:

• Alone: Babies should be placed alone with caregiver nearby in the same room.
• Back: On his or her back.
• Crib: With only a tight-fitting sheet, no bumper pads, pillows, blankets or stuffed animals. Never place a baby to sleep on a couch, chair, air mattress, or other soft surface. Do not let the baby sleep in a baby swing or bouncer. Adults, siblings, and animals should not sleep with the baby.

Other precautions to ensure babies have a safe environment include having a breastfeeding and safe sleep plan.

IDOH is working with the Department of Child Services and other partners across the state to increase awareness about safe sleep.

More information and resources about safe sleep is available on the IDOH website.

In June, IDOH released a provisional statewide 2024 infant mortality rate of 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births, a decrease from 6.6 in 2023. Infant mortality is the death of a child before his or her first birthday and is measured by the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

Visit the Indiana Department of Health at www.health.in.gov for important health and safety information or follow us on X at @StateHealthIN and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StateHealthIN.

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