Spike in unsafe infant sleep deaths prompts Indiana health department warning

After more than 10 Hoosier infants died in unsafe sleep environments in recent weeks, the state’s health department is urging parents and caregivers to take extra precautions at bedtime.

The Indiana Department of Health noted the number is higher than the state’s average of about two unsafe-sleep deaths per week.

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

State health officials reminded families of the “ABCs” of safe sleep: infants should sleep “Alone,” on their “Back,” and in a “Crib” free of blankets, pillows, bumper pads or stuffed animals.

Other precautions include having a breastfeeding and safe sleep plan. IDOH is additionally working with the Department of Child Services and other partners across the state to increase awareness about safe sleep, officials said.

Unsafe practices such as bed-sharing with adults or placing babies on their stomachs increase the risk of suffocation, according to the health department.

IDOH data shows that suffocation caused by unsafe sleep environments is the third leading cause of death for all Indiana infants. Between 2015-2019, 36% of unsafe sleep deaths in Indiana occurred during naptime.

The new warning follows the health department’s announcement in June that Indiana’s infant death rate in 2024 might have reached a historic low of 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births, a drop from 6.6 the year before. That figure would mark the lowest rate since the state began keeping records in 1900. The data is provisional and a final analysis of the 2024 numbers is expected later this year.

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