By: Ellie Date: 09/17/2015

Napping is an activity people of all ages enjoy. We love to lay our head on a soft pillow, curl up with a blanket, and shut our eyes to catch a break from the busyness of the day. And babies tend to engage in this activity the most!

Gov. Rick Snyder declared September a month to celebrate the gift of napping by encouraging safe sleeping habits for infants. With 130 annual infant deaths in Michigan, Snyder sees a need for education to stop these preventable deaths. In May 2014, the Michigan Safe Sleep Act required hospitals to assist parents in providing important information about how to keep babies safe during sleep. This partnership between the Spectrum Health System and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) aids in protecting babies and encouraging education.

The list of things to learn about taking care of a baby can already feel overwhelming to a woman who’s just given birth. That’s why the MDHHS developed three basic, easy-to-remember guidelines for babies to catch their much-needed Z’s:
1. alone
2. in a crib or pack-and-play
3. lying on his or her back

This information, among other important sleep habits for infants, is at the heart of the Infant Safe Sleep Campaign for September, and hospitals and other health professionals are jumping on board.

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