The abcs of Infant safe sleep Introductions: Have each person introduce themselves and state their experience with babysitting younger siblings, relatives, or as a job. State that the purpose of today’s presentation is to learn safety tips for taking care of babies age 0-12 months of age. For babysitters and older siblings

What do these sleeping babies have in common? Activity: Ask the group what do they notice about all these pictures of babies sleeping? Let the youth answer first, then point out your own observations. All these babies are sleeping safely. What does that mean? Notice things like: i.) Every baby is on their back, not their belly; ii.) Every baby is in their own crib; and, iii) The babies do not have any toys, stuffed animals, or other objects in their beds. You may also notice that in some of the pictures, the baby’s parents or caretakers are nearby and watching over them.

Today we will learn about the ABCs of infant safe sleep Today we will learn about the ABCs of infant safe sleep. The ABCs of infant safe sleep help us remember how babies sleep in a safe way. We should do the ABCs whenever we take care of a baby, anytime the baby needs to take a nap whether it’s day or night.

alone Alone means the sleep space should not have anything in it, except for the baby. There should not be blankets, pillows, toys, or stuffed animals in the crib. There should not be pets or other people sleeping with the baby. WHY? Because babies are small and can be squished by pets and other people. WHY? Because their airways can easily be covered by blankets, pillows, toys, or stuffed animals. For the next three slides, use the slides AND the demonstration Pack N’ Play to show and tell the participants about each aspect of the ABCs. Allow plenty of time for questions and clarification. Participants may be concerned that babies will get too cold without a blanket. Remind them that all babies need to be cozy is a nice, clean pair of pajamas or clothes. Babies can actually overheat very easily, because they’re still developing their ability to regulate their own temperature. They may also be concerned that babies will not be comfortable without a pillow or stuffed animal, because after all, they themselves probably sleep with these items. Remind them that babies are not like grown-ups and older children, because of their small size and development. Just like our traditional cradleboards, babies don’t mind sleeping on a harder surface. After all, our cradleboards are just made out of wood!

On my back On my back means babies should be placed to sleep on their back. Babies should never be placed to sleep face-down or on their belly. WHY? Babies need lots of oxygen to breath. WHY? If a baby is laying face-down or on the belly, they may not get enough oxygen. WHY? Just like our traditional cradleboards, babies should be on their back. Babies will not choke on spit-up if they’re on their back! If they can roll over on their own, you do not have to flip them back over. You can use the baby doll to demonstrate how easy it can be to cover up a baby’s small face and airway. If the youth are a bit older, they can learn about carbon dioxide and oxygen. As humans, we breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Then the trees and plants in our environment make the carbon dioxide into more oxygen for us to breathe. If we breathe too much carbon dioxide and not enough oxygen, it can make us very sick. If babies are placed to sleep on their belly, it is not very safe because the carbon dioxide can get trapped near their face, and they will not get enough oxygen to breathe properly. This is why we always say that babies should sleep on their back, until they are old enough to start rolling over on their own. When babies are awake, it is actually very good for them to spend time on their belly, playing, rolling around, and being read to. This will help baby learn their colors, language, and how to use their muscles. Babies should be properly supervised when playing on their belly.

In my crib In my crib means that babies should only sleep in their own crib, bassinette, or Pack N’ Play. Babies should never sleep in a grown-up bed, couch, chair, or even a baby swing, car seat, or bouncy seat. WHY? Babies can get stuck or fall off furniture. WHY? Babies’ necks are not very strong yet, so their heads can drop down and make it hard to breathe if they fall asleep in a baby swing, car seat, or bouncy seat. If a baby falls asleep in any other area besides their own crib, bassinette, or Pack N’ Play, pick them up and move them to their crib as soon as possible. Again, use the baby doll to demonstrate how easy it is for the baby’s head to become “slouchy” which blocks them from being able to breathe. Emphasize that if a baby can’t breathe properly, the baby’s lips may turn blue or purple. You should decide how much to share with the group based on their age and experiences. This may be a good time to discuss how to call 911 if they suspect a baby in their care has stopped breathing.

Let’s Look again! Activity: Let’s look again at this picture, now that you know all about the ABCs of infant safe sleep. What do you notice about these babies? Are they sleeping safely? Can you point out the ABCs in these pictures?

Unsafe sleep situations Why is this an unsafe sleep situation? What could you do to make this safer? Activity: You may break the group up into 4x smaller groups for this next activity and have each group work on one situation. Alternatively, you can ask the whole group to work on this activity together. Ask each group to explain why these situations do not depict the ABCs of infant safe sleep. They should explain what they could do to make the baby safer if they were babysitting this baby. Situation 1: The baby is face-down which can make it hard for them to breathe. To make it safer, place the baby on their back to sleep.

Unsafe sleep situations Why is this an unsafe sleep situation? What could you do to make this safer? Situation 2: The baby has two blankets and a puppy in their crib. This is not safe because the blankets can cover his airway, making it hard to breathe. The puppy should not be in bed with the baby. To make this safer, remove the blankets and puppy from the crib.

Unsafe sleep situations Why is this an unsafe sleep situation? What could you do to make this safer? Situation 3: The baby is face-down, which makes its harder to breathe. There is a blanket covering the baby, which can cover-up his small airway. He is also sleeping on a couch, which is very dangerous because he can get stuck in the cushions, or fall on the floor. To make this baby safer, put him in his own crib, on his back, without a blanket.

Unsafe sleep situations Why is this an unsafe sleep situation? What could you do to make this safer? Situation 4: The baby is sleeping on a chair, which is very dangerous because she could get stuck in the cushions or fall on the floor. She also has a blanket and pillow, which can cover her small airways and make it hard to breathe. If you look closely, you might see that her head is starting to slouch, because she’s propped up on the pillow. Remember that this can also make it harder to breathe. To make this baby safer, put her in her own crib, on her back, without any pillows or blankets.

Congratulations! Congratulations on learning about the ABCs of infant safe sleep. Are there any more questions or comments? Hand each participant their certificate of attendance.