Unsafe sleep contributed to half of infant deaths

More than half of all infant deaths in Milwaukee County last year were related to an unsafe sleep environment, the Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office said Tuesday.

The data was released after Milwaukee saw its first infant death of 2018.

A 7-week-old girl was found dead inside a home in the city’s northwest side about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday and Milwaukee police say co-sleeping may have been a factor.

Last year, the medical examiner’s office investigated 45 infants deaths, finding 25 were related to unsafe sleep environments, which include co-sleeping, sleeping in an adult bed or with pillows and toys.

The number of infant deaths rose last year compared to the 32 reported in 2016, of which about 40% were related to an unsafe sleep environment, the medical examiner’s office said.

The risks of sleep-related deaths typically are bedsharing, unsafe sleep surfaces, body placement, alcohol and drug use, and smoking.

It is often said that the rules for safe sleep are as easy as the ABCs:

Babies should sleep Alone, on their Backs, in a Crib uncluttered by blankets, pillows or toys, without exposure to cigarette smoke.

Studies have shown sleep-related infant death is not an urban problem, with deaths reported in suburban and rural counties, too.

Preterm birth, with its complex biological, social and economic problems, kills more babies than any other cause.

But because so many of the factors that contribute to sleep-related death are within caregivers’ control, health officials hope that, with education and encouragement, those deaths can be reduced.