Over the past five months, 54 children in Texas lost their lives while they were sleeping with adults or older children. Now, one Texas agency is starting a campaign to educate families on how to alleviate the risk of these preventable deaths.
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is launching a statewide campaign to inform people of the dangers of co-sleeping. Babies who sleep with others are at greater risk of smothering , falling off the bed, having someone roll on top of them, or dying of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
The Room To Breathe campaign will include elements displayed on social media, television and online. Child Protective Services investigates about 170 deaths each year of children sharing a bed with someone older. The Texas Pediatrics Societysays the safest place for babies is in a crib or bassinet, with no blanket, and no stuffed animals.