Washington County Health Department (WCHD) is proud to announce its partnership with Cribs for Kids, a National Infant Safe-Sleep Initiative to promote infant safe sleep practices for all new parents in Washington County, Maryland.
Thousands of sudden, unexpected infant deaths occur each year. Research indicates the vast majority are accidental and are due to babies sleeping in unsafe sleeping environments with nearly three-fourths being associated with bed sharing. In Washington County, there is an average of 2.5 cases of sudden unexpected infant deaths each year. 76% of those infants were not in a safe sleep environment. WCHD hopes to reduce the number of sudden unexpected infant deaths due to unsafe sleeping environments by providing a safe sleep environment to caregivers
who do not have and cannot afford a crib or pack and play. WCHD wants to teach parents and caregivers that the safest way for a baby to sleep is alone on his or her back in a bare, safety-
approved crib. In addition to educational tools, qualifying families will receive Cribette portable cribs if they cannot otherwise afford safe-sleeping environments for their infants.
If you or anyone you know is the caregiver of an infant under one year old who does not have and cannot afford a crib or pack and play, please contact WCHD at 240-313-3357. Learn more about the program here.
WCHD is also still looking for participants for the Baby Sleep Focus Group. The purpose of the focus group is to learn more about the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of caregivers regarding infant sleep in order to learn how to better keep babies safe. Participants will receive free lunch, a onesie, a bedtime book, and be entered in a raffle for a Bedtime in a Box. Anyone interested in participating should call 240-313-3357 to sign up.
About Cribs for Kids
Cribs for Kids is a national infant safe-sleep education program that helps to reduce the risk of injury and death of infants due to accidental suffocation, asphyxia, or undetermined causes in unsafe sleeping environments. Since 1998, Cribs for Kids has been making an impact on reducing the rate of infant sleep-related deaths by educating parents and caregivers on the importance of practicing safe sleep and providing portable cribs to families who otherwise cannot afford a safe place for their babies to sleep. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Cribs for Kids currently has more than 1450+ partners throughout the United States implementing infant safe-sleep programs in their communities. All education is based on the AAP Guidelines for Infant Sleep Safety. Visit https://cribsforkids.org for more information.
