Tips to Properly Position Babies to Avoid Positional Asphyxia

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association and physicians from St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia urge parents and caregivers to properly position infants when using juvenile products.

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia are urging parents and caregivers to be aware of proper positioning of babies to allow for adequate airflow, and to prevent positional asphyxia with suffocation.

“JPMA is dedicated to educating parents and caregivers on the safe use of juvenile products,” said Brenda Berg, JPMA Chair, President of Scandinavian Child and mom of two. “To help us accomplish this goal, JPMA is teaming up with top health professionals to spread the word nationwide about safe sleep best practices and other baby safety initiatives.”

What is positional asphyxia?
Positional asphyxia can occur when the airway of an infant becomes obstructed due to an abnormal position of the baby’s neck or body. A baby’s airway is very soft. Because of this, when the baby’s neck is bent too far onto the chest, too far back, or too far to the side, the airway can become compressed making it harder for the baby to breath. Infants aged one year and younger are especially susceptible due to their lack of head and neck control. In many reports infants placed in an unsafe sleep environment are at the highest risk; however positional asphyxia can also occur anytime the infant’s neck is not properly positioned and the baby is not appropriately monitored.

“Babies positioned correctly should have their chin up, with nose and mouth free of any type of obstruction at all times,” said Eileen Tyrala, M.D., a general pediatrician at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. “Infants are especially at risk for positional asphyxia, and parents should frequently check their baby’s head and neck position to ensure they are correctly positioned.”

Tips to avoid positional asphyxia
Parents and caregivers are reminded of additional safety tips to avoid positional asphyxia:

• Avoid placing infants to sleep in an unsafe sleep environment, including on adult beds,
• Never put an infant in a bed or crib with soft bedding, pillows, stuffed animals or plush toys.
• Make sure baby’s face is visible at all times, and is not covered by any bedding, pillow or toys.
• Make sure baby’s crib mattress and crib sheet are the appropriate size, and fit the crib snugly.
• Be sure that baby is not hunched, with chin touching chest, while someone is wearing baby in a carrier, baby is in a swing, or while baby is placed in any juvenile product.
• Baby’s head should never be covered by any fabric or covering.
• Don’t cover the heads of babies with a blanket or over-bundle them in clothing and blankets.

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association was established to promote the safe use of juvenile products. In recent months, JPMA has extended its mission to include a safe sleep campaign to educate parents and caregivers on safety issues including creating safe sleep environments for infants. JPMA recently introduced The ParentHood, an online safety community that parents and caregivers can turn to for important safety guidelines, product recalls, and more. In addition, the JPMA is partnering with other associations, hospitals and consumer groups whose mission is in line with JPMA’s to communicate safety messages to parents and caregivers.

“It is our hope that through collaborations with St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, we can provide parents with up-to-the-minute safety messages and serve as a resource for parents and caregivers looking for answers to tough questions about the proper use of juvenile products,” continued Berg.

Each year, JPMA sponsors Baby Safety Month in September. This year JPMA is dedicating Baby Safety Month to safe sleep practices. JPMA initiated Baby Safety Month to educate parents and caregivers on the importance of the safe use and selection of juvenile products.

About the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association
The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association is a national trade organization of more than 250 companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico. JPMA exists to advance the interests, growth and well-being of North American prenatal to preschool product manufacturers, importers and distributors marketing under their own brands to consumers. It does so through advocacy, public relations, information sharing, product performance certification and business development assistance conducted with appreciation for the needs of parents, children and retailers.

Click here to find out more information about the JPMA certification program, and the products certified. Follow JPMA on Twitter @JPMA and connect with us on Facebook to learn about additional safety tips and JPMA initiatives.

About St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
Since 1875, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children has been providing exceptional patient care and advancing new pediatric treatments through research and innovation. Through affiliations with Drexel University College of Medicine and Temple University School of Medicine, St. Christopher’s is a teaching hospital helping to train the next generation of professionals in pediatric medicine.

The 189-bed hospital is committed to delivering high quality family- and patient-centered care to children from throughout the Philadelphia area and around the world. St. Christopher’s highly acclaimed programs include its Level I Pediatric Trauma Center; Level IIIC NICU, which is the highest NICU designation; Heart Center, Oncology/Transplant; as well as its Burn Center, which is the only dedicated pediatric burn center in the area. In 2009, St. Christopher’s achieved Magnet status, which is one of the nation's highest forms of recognition for nursing excellence, and numerous St. Chris physicians were recognized in regional publications as being “Top Docs” in their fields.

To learn more about St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, visit www.stchristophershospital.com. St. Christopher’s can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StChrisHospital and on Twitter at twitter.com/stchrishospital.

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