With October being Infant Safe Sleep Month in Michigan, the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department wants to remind everyone of the importance of infant safe sleep.

Sleep-related deaths can occur at any point during infancy, which is from birth to 1 year old, the DIDHD warns in a news release. In Michigan, they are the leading cause of death among infants, with suffocation being the most common cause. Statewide, 1.3 sleep-related infant deaths occur per 1,000 live births. In 2022, 150 Michigan babies died due to sleep-related causes.

Infants have suffocated while sleeping in adult beds, sharing a bed with an adult or child, sleeping on furniture, and sleeping with pillows, cushions and blankets, the DIDHD advised.

In accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics, parents and care

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