Sleep Consultant Course of Study
Syllabus
Course name: Safe Infant Sleep
Course code: IMS421
Course description
This course focuses on raising awareness about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and how to prevent it. Students will learn about the safe sleep recommendations and the factors that influence parents’ sleep choices for their babies. The course covers effective ways to have conversations with parents about SIDS, helping them make informed decisions. It also addresses safe co-sleeping practices for families who choose to co-sleep, including bed-sharing and breastfeeding. Special attention is given to safe sleep for twins and creating safe co-bedding arrangements.
Course objectives:
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Understand the key risk factors and preventive measures related to SIDS
- Explain the safe sleep recommendations for infants
- Recognize the factors that influence parents’ sleep choices
- Communicate effectively with parents about SIDS and safe sleep practices
- Provide guidance to parents who choose to co-sleep with their babies
- Provide advice on safe sleep practices for twins
Course content:
In this course, students learn about:
- SIDS awareness and prevention
- Safe sleep recommendations
- Factors influencing sleep choices
- Techniques for having effective conversations about SIDS with parents that can help offset potential issues
- Safe co-sleeping with babies. Supporting parents who believe that co-sleeping is the right choice for them
- Breastfeeding and bed-sharing
- Safe sleep for twins
- Safe co-bedding arrangements
- 1 practical exercise (not graded)
- 5 practice quizzes (not graded)
Assessment:
- 1 final test
Grading System:
Pass/Fail based on performance in quizzes and the final case study exam.
Prerequisites
No prior knowledge is mandatory, though a basic understanding of child development and family dynamics is recommended.
References:
Thach BT, Rutherford GW Jr, Harris K. Deaths and injuries attributed to infant crib bumper pads. J Pediatr. 2007;151(3):271–274, 274.e1–274.e3 [PubMed]
Scheers NJ, Woodard DW, Thach BT. Crib bumpers continue to cause infant deaths: a need for a new preventive approach. J Pediatr. 2016;169:93–97, e91 [PubMed]
Winter-Feldman L, Golsmith JP; American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Fetus and Newborn. Safe sleep and skin-to-skin care in the neonatal period for healthy term newborns. Pediatrics. 2016;138(3):e20161889 [PubMed]
Carolan PL, Wheeler WB, Ross JD, Kemp RJ. Potential to prevent carbon dioxide rebreathing of commercial products marketed to reduce sudden infant death syndrome risk. Pediatrics. 2000 Apr;105(4 Pt 1):774-9. doi: 10.1542/peds.105.4.774. PMID: 10742319. [PubMed]
Willinger M, James LS, Catz C. Defining the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS): deliberations of an expert panel convened by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Pediatr Pathol. 1991;11(5):677–684 [Taylor&Francis]
Kanetake J, Aoki Y, Funayama M. Evaluation of rebreathing potential on bedding for infant use. Pediatr Int. 2003;45(3):284–289 [PubMed]
Patel AL, Harris K, Thach BT. Inspired CO(2) and O(2) in sleeping infants rebreathing from bedding: relevance for sudden infant death syndrome. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2001;91(6):2537–2545 [PubMed]
Wilson CA, Taylor BJ, Laing RM, Williams SM, Mitchell EA. Clothing and bedding and its relevance to sudden infant death syndrome: further results from the New Zealand Cot Death Study. J Paediatr Child Health. 1994;30(6):506–512 [Wiley]
Malloy MH. Trends in postneonatal aspiration deaths and reclassification of sudden infant death syndrome: impact of the “Back to Sleep” program. Pediatrics. 2002;109(4):661–665 [PubMed]
Sowter B, Doyle LW, Morley CJ, Altmann A, Halliday J. Is sudden infant death syndrome still more common in very low birthweight infants in the 1990s? Med J Aust. 1999;171(8):411–413 [PubMed]
Hauck FR, Herman SM, Donovan M, et al. Sleep environment and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in an urban population: the Chicago Infant Mortality Study. Pediatrics. 2003;111(5 pt 2):1207–1214 [PubMed]
Ostfeld BM, Perl H, Esposito L, et al. Sleep environment, positional, lifestyle, and demographic characteristics associated with bed sharing in sudden infant death syndrome cases: a population-based study. Pediatrics. 2006;118(5):2051–2059 [AAP]
Malloy MH, Hoffman HJ. Prematurity, sudden infant death syndrome, and age of death. Pediatrics. 1995;96(3 pt 1):464–471 [PubMed]
Blair PS, Fleming PJ, Smith IJ, et al; CESDI SUDI Research Group. Babies sleeping with parents: case-control study of factors influencing the risk of the sudden infant death syndrome. BMJ. 1999;319(7223):1457–1461 [PubMed]
Carpenter RG, Irgens LM, Blair PS, et al. Sudden unexplained infant death in 20 regions in Europe: case control study. Lancet. 2004;363(9404):185–191 [PubMed]
Kemp JS, Nelson VE, Thach BT. Physical properties of bedding that may increase risk of sudden infant death syndrome in prone-sleeping infants. Pediatr Res. 1994;36(1 pt 1):7–11 [PubMed]
Kornhauser Cerar L, Scirica CV, Stucin Gantar I, Osredkar D, Neubauer D, Kinane TB. A comparison of respiratory patterns in healthy term infants placed in car safety seats and beds. Pediatrics. 2009 Sep;124(3):e396-402. doi: 10.1542/peds.2009-0160. Epub 2009 Aug 24. PMID: 19706572. [PubMed]
Scheers NJ, Rutherford GW, Kemp JS. Where should infants sleep? A comparison of risk for suffocation of infants sleeping in cribs, adult beds, and other sleeping locations. Pediatrics. 2003;112(4):883–889 [PubMed]
Hauck FR, Thompson JM, Tanabe KO, Moon RY, Vennemann MM. Breastfeeding and reduced risk of sudden infant death syndrome: a meta-analysis. Pediatrics. 2011;128(1):103–110. [PubMed]
Vennemann MM, Bajanowski T, Brinkmann B, et al; GeSID Study Group. Does breastfeeding reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome? Pediatrics. 2009;123(3). [PubMed]
Tomashek KM, Wallman C; American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Fetus and Newborn. Cobedding twins and higher-order multiples in a hospital setting. Pediatrics. 2007;120(6):1359–1366. [AAP]
Rechtman LR, Colvin JD, Blair PS, Moon RY. Sofas and infant mortality. Pediatrics. 2014;134(5). [AAP]
McGarvey C, McDonnell M, Hamilton K, O’Regan M, Matthews T. An 8 year study of risk factors for SIDS: bed-sharing versus non-bed-sharing. Arch Dis Child. 2006;91(4):318–323. [BMJ]
Carpenter R, McGarvey C, Mitchell EA, et al. Bed sharing when parents do not smoke: is there a risk of SIDS? An individual level analysis of five major case-control studies. BMJ Open. 2013;3(5):e002299. [BMJ]
Blair PS, Sidebotham P, Evason-Coombe C, Edmonds M, Heckstall-Smith EM, Fleming P. Hazardous cosleeping environments and risk factors amenable to change: case-control study of SIDS in south west England. BMJ. 2009;339:b3666 [BMJ]
Blair PS, Sidebotham P, Pease A, Fleming PJ. Bed-sharing in the absence of hazardous circumstances: is there a risk of sudden infant death syndrome? An analysis from two case-control studies conducted in the UK. PLoS One. 2014;9(9):e107799 [NIH]
Farber HJ, Groner J, Walley S, Nelson K; SECTION ON TOBACCO CONTROL. Protecting Children From Tobacco, Nicotine, and Tobacco Smoke. Pediatrics. 2015 Nov;136(5):e1439-67. doi: 10.1542/peds.2015-3110. PMID: 26504135. [AAP]
Ponsonby A-L, Dwyer T, Gibbons LE, Cochrane JA, Jones ME, McCall MJ. Thermal environment and sudden infant death syndrome: case-control study. BMJ. 1992;304(6822):277–282 [BMJ]
McDonnell E, Moon RY. Infant deaths and injuries associated with wearable blankets, swaddle wraps, and swaddling. J Pediatr. 2014;164(5):1152–1156 [NIH]
Blair, P.S., Heron, J., Fleming, P.H 2010, Relationship between bed sharing and breastfeeding: Longitudinal, population-based analysis. Pediatrics 126(5): e1119-e1126. [PubMed]
Rigda RS, McMillen IC, Buckley P 2000, Bed sharing patterns in a cohort of Australian infants during the first six months after birth, J. Paediatr Child Health 36: 117-121. [PubMed]
Young, J 1999, Night-time behaviour and interactions between mothers and their infants of low risk for SIDS: a longitudinal study of room-sharing and bed sharing, PhD thesis: Institute of Child Health,University of Bristol. [University of Bristol]
Ball HL, Hooker E, Kelly PJ 2000, Parent-infant co-sleeping: Fathers’ roles and perspectives. Inf. Child Dev 9: 67-74. [Wiley]
McCoy, R.C., Hunt, C.E., Lesko, S.M., Vezina, R., Corwin, M.J., Willinger, M., Hoffman, H.J., Mitchell, A.A 2004, Frequency of bed sharing and its relationship to breastfeeding Dev Behav Pediatr. 2004, 25(3),141-114. [PubMed]
Baddock, S.A., Galland, B.C., Taylor, B.J., Bolton, D.P.G 2007, Sleep arrangements and behavior of bed-sharing families in the home setting Pediatrics. 119(1),e200-e207. [PubMed]
Mosko, S., Richard, C., McKenna, J 1997, Maternal sleep and arousals during bedsharing with infants. Sleep. 20(2),142-150. [PubMed]
McKenna, J.J., McDade, T 2005, Why babies should never sleep alone: a review of the co-sleeping controversy in relation to SIDS, bedsharing and breast feeding Paediatr Respir Rev. 2005, 6(2),134-52. [PubMed]
Horne, R.S., Parslow, P.M., Harding, R 2004, Respiratory control and arousal in sleeping infants Paediatr Respir Rev. 5(3),190-198. [PubMed]
Baddock, S.A., Galland, B.C., Bolton, D.P., Williams, S.M., Taylor, B.J 2006, Differences in infant and parent behaviors during routine bed sharing compared with cot sleeping in the home setting Pediatrics. 117(5),599-1607. [PubMed]
McKenna JJ, Ball HL, Gettler LT. Mother-infant cosleeping, breastfeeding and sudden infant death syndrome: what biological anthropology has discovered about normal infant sleep and pediatric sleep medicine. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2007;(Suppl 45):133-161. doi:10.1002/ajpa.20736 [Wiley]