Safe Sleep for Infants

Sudden Unexplained Infant Deaths (SUID) do occur in Clackamas County and are devastating to families. Learn about safe sleep strategies to help reduce the risk of SUID for your infants.

Learn about the ABCs of safe sleep in this video created in partnership with Clackamas Fire.

Follow these safe sleep tips:  

• Put baby to sleep in a safety-approved crib, bassinet or portable crib
• Baby’s sleep area should have a firm sleep surface/mattress, a tight-fitting sheet and nothing else
• Baby should sleep in the same room as the parent or caregiver
• Baby should sleep on their back
• Do not overheat or overdress  
• Breastfeed your baby if possible (data shows that breastfeeding reduces the risk of SUID)
• At 3-4 weeks, offer a pacifier if breastfeeding is going well
• Make your home and car smoke-free
• The risk for SUID goes up significantly if parents or caregivers bedshare while using substances, including alcohol and marijuana

“The leading cause of infant death in Clackamas County is bedsharing”

—Clackamas County Child Fatality Review Committee, Clackamas County Child Abuse Multi-Disciplinary Team

The Clackamas County Child Fatality Review committee is a multidisciplinary team of professionals who systematically review the circumstances surrounding a child’s death to identify contributing factors and implement strategies to prevent future, preventable deaths. In the past few years, within the cases reviewed by the committee bedsharing has been at the top of the list. The goal of the committee and the Child Abuse Multi-Disciplinary Team is to take a proactive approach to educate parents about the risks.

Got Oregon Health Plan? (OHP/Medicaid) You may be eligible to receive safe sleep supplies for your baby. Ask your doctor to complete the supplies request form.

If you are pregnant and don't have OHP coverage or need help finding a prenatal care provider email aph@clackamas.us or call 503-742-5358.

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