So many of the parents I visit with at well child appointments are overwhelmed with all of the information and decisions out there. They feel like if they make the wrong choice they will hurt their baby. My hope is that this post will alleviate some of that stress. I’m a fairly laid back person. I control the things I can control and the rest I leave in God’s hands. I know. It is much easier said than done.
Based on my research and years of experience, the following list are five essentials that have been statistically proven to save lives. These are, in my opinion, simple things you can do as a parent to help keep your baby safer.
1. Lie your baby on their back to sleep
Since providers in the United States have been advising babies to sleep on their backs, sudden infant death cases have reduced by over 50 % (cite ). When lying on the back the esophagus, the tube that leads to the stomach is lower. If a baby spits up, gravity helps it bypass the airway and go into the stomach. Also, sleeping on the back keeps your baby from breathing in exhaled air.
2. Use Carseats and/or restraints when in a vehicle
The safest place for your baby be in a vehicle is in a regulation car seat or seatbelt. A paramedic told me about a deadly vehicle accident scene she worked. In the vehicle accident, all had died except the baby that was safely restrained in their car seat. “NHTSA estimates that correctly used child restraints reduce fatalities by 71% for infants younger than 1 year old and by 54% for children 1 to 4 years old in passenger cars.” Start young. Teach your children that the car doesn’t start until everyone is buckled up, in every seat, every time, and every trip. This can be particularly difficult in countries with public transportation. However, if you insist that you will not ride in a taxi without working seat belts, then more taxis will ensure they have restraints in place.
3. Vaccinate
In England I stood on a family grave and saw the dates of four children that had passed away at different times, all under the age of 5. I realized they all died before vaccines had been invented. I can only imagine the grief that family experienced as they returned to the cemetery time after time. Thankfully, we live in a time that it is very rare for a child to die of a vaccine preventable disease. Since vaccines came to Africa more recently, nurses I worked with in Africa remember what life was like before vaccines. “The children’s ward was always full and children died every day before we had vaccines.” It is estimated that 150 million children’s lives worldwide have been saved since 1974″ with the regular use of vaccines(cite). I am so thankful that we live in a time when a lot of these life threatening diseases, especially measles, can be prevented by vaccines.
4. Breastfeed, especially if living in a low resource country
There is so much evidence that breastfeeding passes immunity to baby and helps their overall health (cite). New evidence also shows us that mothers who breastfeed are less likely to have heart disease later in life. In countries that do not have clean drinking water, babies that aren’t exclusively breastfed are much more likely to die from diarrhea and pneumonia (cite). Please, please, especially if you live in a low to middle income country, breastfeed your baby and encourage others to do so. Children of undereducated mothers are at increased risk of infant death if not exclusively breastfed. At a rural hospital in Ghana I saw first hand that mothers were under the impression that formula made their baby’s healthier. If you live in one of these lower resourced countries you have the opportunity to model that breastfeeding is the wisest choice. Check out this article that has resources for breastfeeding in Africa.
5. If living in a malaria endemic country: sleep under an insecticide treated mosquito net
Sleeping under insecticide treated nets (ITN) in communities in Africa where malaria is prevalent reduces death by 20% for all causes under the age of 5 years. Pregnant mothers, babies, and young children are most vulnerable to malaria, which is spread by mosquitos. If you live in a country with malaria and you are looking for ways to be involved in community health, explore opportunities to connect with local initiatives to educate about malaria and distribute ITN.
A lot of the other decisions about raising babies are more a matter of personal preference, culture, and comfort. I have found that the above five choices have a significant impact in helping save children’s lives.
Healthy Global Kids 