Through their interactions with new parents and newborn caregivers, Ohio hospital staffers offer resources and guidance about safe sleep environments and provide necessary support focusing on the ABCs of infant safe sleep—always placing infants Alone, on their Backs in a Crib.

Within the first year of OHA’s program all Ohio maternity hospitals joined the program, assigning a safe sleep champion for their facility. OHA’s initiative focused on adoption of safe sleep policies, training of staff on modeling safe sleep practices, and auditing of current practice.

Safe Sleep Policy

Ohio hospitals participating in the program are committing to the development and creation of policies to align with statewide and national standards for promoting and practicing infant safe sleep. Below are materials and examples for hospitals to utilize.

Adopt and implement an internal safe sleep policy:

• Policy Template (First Candle)
• Safe Sleep Directive (Ohio Department of Health)
• Safe Sleep Guidelines (Ohio Chapter AAP)
• Hospital Certification (Cribs for Kids)

Audit the hospital’s implementation of the policy:

• Sample audit form (Cribs For Kids)

Consider participating in the HALO In-Hospital SleepSack Program to replace receiving blankets with wearable blankets.

Research and Education

Research shows that patients model behavior after health care providers, therefore it is imperative to ensure that all infant units follow AAP recommendations for safe sleep.

Article: Safe Infant Sleep Interventions: What is the Evidence for Successful Behavior Change? – Current Pediatric Review (2016)

Train staff and physicians on the recommended guidelines, internal safe sleep policy and the importance of modeling safe sleep in the hospital:

• Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2022 Recommendations for Reducing Infant Deaths in the Sleep Environment (AAP)
• Evidence Base for 2022 Updated Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment to Reduce the Risk of Sleep-Related Infant Deaths (AAP)
• Continuing Education (CE) Program on SIDS Risk Reduction (NICHD)
• Safe Sleep Promising Practices and Literature Review (NICHQ – Missouri Safe Sleep Coalition)

Partner Organizations

OHA’s Infant Safe Sleep program benefits greatly from partnerships with state and national organizations. Through our collaboration we are providing hospitals, patients and communities with valuable resources and tools to encourage infant safe sleep.

• Ohio Department of Health: Safe Sleep Resources
• American Academy of Pediatrics: Safe Sleep
• Cribs for Kids
  • Cribs for Kids – Interactive Map
  • Cribs for Kids Partners
• Safe to Sleep: NICHD Public Education Campaign
• March of Dimes: Safe Sleep for Your Baby
• NICHQ: Interactive E-Handout for Safe Sleep Conversations

Best Practices and Referrals

For additional information on toolkits, templates, samples, etc. visit the resource section below.

• American Academy of Pediatrics – Safe Sleep campaign toolkit
• Ohio Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics ‘Safe Sleep’ 
• HHS National Institutes of Health Safe to Sleep Campaign:
  • Downloadable media resources
  • Baby’s Anatomy When on the Stomach and on the Back (image)
  • Safe Sleep for Your Baby (video)