‘The main thing is education;’ Classes help teach new parents to prevent SIDS cases

October is sudden infant death syndrome awareness month, and parents are taking classes to help keep their children safe.

Sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, is defined by medical experts as the sudden, unexplained death of a baby younger than one year old.

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There are steps to take that lower the risk of SIDS.

There is a class for parents about keeping babies safe while they sleep.

The Infant Safe Sleep Program from the Philadelphia Health Department is trying to reduce the city’s high infant mortality rates.

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Keisha Copeland, mother of 2-month-old Serenity, is taking the class.

“I think if more moms are educated I think the rates will go down. I learned that babies should always sleep alone on their back in a crib,” Copeland said.

SIDS is often associated with improper bedding in a crib or babies sleeping on their stomachs. 93% of SIDS deaths are preventable, research shows.

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“The main thing is education,” the Safe Sleep Program manager with the Philadelphia Health Department, Annette Frazier said.

“The simple message abc the baby sleeps a alone b on the back and c in the crib,” Frazier said.

Infants should never sleep in a bed or with a parent.

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“It’s important for her to be safe so she can live a happy long life,” Copeland said.

Copeland told reporters she was appreciative of the class that helps new parents and keeps babies like Serenity healthy.

According to the CDC, there are more than 3,400 sudden unexpected infant deaths in the United States ever year, and about a third are classified as SIDS.

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