TEXAS, USA — As temperatures fall below freezing throughout central Texas this week, you might want to wrap your newborn up in a blanket or sleep with them, but according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, that isn’t a safe thing to do.
DFPS officials like Mark Wilson are asking parents and caregivers to ensure children remain safe during sleep.
"Safe sleep is ensuring when a child goes down for bedtime or nap time, they're able to breath unencumbered," Wilson said.
Texas sees the highest number of deaths related to unsafe sleeping environments during the winter months each year.
Often, these deaths involve children who become tangled in blankets or bedding, or who are co-sleeping with their parents.
The population with the most incidents of safe sleep deaths involves newborns up to 2 years old.
"These are children who are smaller, who may not have as much mobility as the olders, but it can happen at any range of ages," Wilson said. "So it's really important for parents to be vigilant, even if they think their child might not be in a high-risk category, to recognize it can happen to anyone."
Since 2016, Texas DFPS has investigated 981 child deaths in which bed-sharing was a factor.
The best way to stop these unnecessary deaths is to practice 'safe sleep', which Wilson says is as easy as A-B-C.
"We always stress the A-B-C's of safe sleep. That means babies are alone, they're on their backs, and they're in their cribs in a cool room, and they're in a smoke-free environment," Wilson said. "So doing all those things really cuts down the risk for babies to be involved in a sleeping incident."
A great alternative to putting blankets on your newborns is sleep sacks and warmer onesies.