Following a dangerous uptick in the number of unsafe sleep deaths in Bay County, the Healthy Start Program and Children’s Advocacy Center have partnered with Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center to launch ‘This Side Up,’ a Safe Sleep Baby campaign. Over the coming months the Advocacy Center and Healthy Start will be training first responders, police and firemen on safe sleep practices and providing them with ‘This Side Up’ safe sleep packets, that will include a Safe Sleep shirt, pacifiers and educational materials for mothers and other guardians.
To help kick off the campaign, the Panama City Beach Chamber rallied its membership and late last month, organized a special ‘Safe Sleep bag stuffing’ event. Commenting on the event, Chamber President & CEO Kristopher McLean noted, “The Beach Chamber is always grateful to give back to our community. The partnership with the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center and our IdeaCamp Committee allowed us to volunteer our time for the Sleep Safe campaign. Our members came together that day to create 2,500 awareness bags. This was a pure act of compassion knowing we helped educate parents about protecting their child. We have the most generous membership!”
The campaign seeks to educate parents and other guardians and caretakers about the importance of safe baby sleeping practices, relying on community advocates, such as law enforcement and first responders, to get the word out in their communities.
In launching the campaign, Executive Director, Healthy Start Coalition, Sharon Trainor noted, “It is estimated that four to six otherwise healthy babies will die every year from unsafe sleep practices in Bay County alone, so it is extraordinarily important that the public be aware of the dangers and understand safe sleep practices.”
Knowing the facts and simple tips will save lives:
Almost twice as many babies die in adult beds than anywhere else. TIP: share a room not a bed. Bring the crib into your room, this will keep your baby close and safe. Never put a baby to sleep on a soft surface, such as a couch or chair.
What may seem like ‘comfy’ to adults can be deadly for babies. TIP: remove all items from the crib, such as blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, even bumper pads. Use tight fitting sheets, one-piece sleepers and if the room is not warm enough, a sleep sack.
The safest way for a baby to sleep in on their back. TIP: always put babies to sleep alone, on their back in an empty crib, bassinet or pack ‘n play.
To find out more or to find out how you can participate in the campaign please contact Sharon Trainor at sharon@healthystartbfg.org.
