Officials offer tips to cut risk of infant death

A reminder from the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Bend Police Department, Redmond Police Department, Sunriver Police Department, Black Butte Police Department, the Local State Medical Examiner, Oregon State Police and the Office of State Medical Examiner would like to take this opportunity to remind all infant caregivers to pay attention to where infants are sleeping to avoid unintended deaths.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends infants be placed wholly on their backs on a firm, horizontal sleep surface, free of any risk of entrapment, without soft objects or loose bedding, every time they are put to sleep until they are one year of age; and recommends room-sharing without bed-sharing or co-sleeping and advises against overheating infants.

Breastfeeding is always highly recommended but infants should be put to sleep in a separate, safe sleep environment when finished breast feeding. An infant in bed with anyone, even young siblings, is at risk for death due to suffocation and are at even higher risk in situations where drugs or alcohol are being consumed by the adult who is co-sleeping, or when sleeping with obese adults, smokers or exhausted individuals.

The death of an infant is a tragic event for all involved; when an infant death is reported it is investigated in standardized and systematic way by law enforcement, the Medical Examiner and District Attorney’s Office. Please follow these recommendations and help us keep our community’s children safe.