Fifty babies a year
October is SIDS Awareness Month, and it’s also Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. For families affected by these tragedies, this month brings back a loss they carry every day.
We also want to talk about a number that hasn’t moved much in years. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, about 50 otherwise healthy Minnesota babies die each year of sleep-related unintentional injuries, often in an adult bed or on a sofa with a parent or older child. These babies get caught in bedding, end up under pillows, or become trapped between a sleeping adult and the cushions of a couch or recliner.
These deaths are almost all preventable. When the state analyzed the 100 sudden unexpected infant deaths in 2018 and 2019, preliminary data showed that 93 of them were sleep-related and happened in unsafe sleep environments.
Some of these sleep-related infant deaths happen in loving homes, to parents who didn’t know the risks or made one exhausted decision at 3 a.m.
Our research at Safe Passage, however, shows where unsafe sleep becomes a child protection issue. Our most recent fatality report identified 44 child maltreatment deaths in Minnesota from June 2023 through December 2024, or about 28 deaths a year, up from roughly 20 a year in earlier periods. Most of those deaths came from neglect, not physical abuse, and asphyxiation. Often unsafe sleep with an impaired caregiver was one of the leading causes. When a caregiver is impaired by drugs or alcohol, bed-sharing becomes a safety threat.
What you can do this month
How can you help keep babies safe? Share this guidance with a parent you might know. Health officials call it the ABCs of safe sleep:
-
Alone: Babies should sleep alone, not in an adult bed, on a couch, or with siblings.
-
Back: Put babies on their backs for every nap and every night.
-
Crib: Use a safe crib or play yard with no blankets, pillows, or toys.