Unsafe Sleeping Practices Blamed For 41 Santa Clara County Infant Deaths

SANTA CLARA (KCBS)— In the past six years in Santa Clara County, some 41 infants have died due to what was once considered mysterious circumstances. Three of those deaths occurred this year alone. Now those deaths are being blamed on sleeping conditions.

Health officials in the South Bay are now mounting a new campaign aimed at protecting infants from unsafe sleeping practices and what they call "avoidable tragedies".

KCBS' Mark Seelig Reports:

Dr. Louis Girling with the County Health Department said the babies are dying in inappropriate environments such as adult beds, couches and sofas.

"We're talking about babies that are either bed sharing with a parent or an older sibling," Girling said in addition to other inappropriate conditions.

It didn't stop there. Girling said some of these infants suffocated on soft bedding or stuffed animals that parents put inside the sleeping area for comfort.

"Our message is that infants under the age of one year should sleep alone on their back in a crib or bassinette with a firm mattress," he said.

If your child is cold he recommended using a light blanket, tucked in at the sides and no higher than the child's chest.

"You'd be surprised at how many children in the region are sleeping in dangerous conditions these days," Girling said.

The average age of the babies who died since 2005 due to unsafe sleep was three months old, and almost all of them died before they turned seven months old.

Most were born full term and were healthy babies. Almost half died while bed sharing with an adult or older child. Girling found the demographics have crossed all ethnic and socio-economic lines.

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