URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) – The staff at Urbana’s Crisis Nursery are dedicated to keeping the facility safe, even ensuring security when children are asleep. During Safe Sleep and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month, nursery employees are highlighting methods to help parents maintain safe sleep environments for their children.

The CDC said in 2022, more than 15,000 babies died of SIDS, and more than 1,000 died from accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed. 

“A lot of people still are not aware that SIDS is still a thing,” child care specialist Julia Miller said. 

The Crisis Nursery offers 24/7 care for children under six years old who might be vulnerable to abuse or neglect, sometimes caring for numerous children simultaneously.

Miller reminds people taking care of children to not have decorative linings, extra blankets or pillows on beds for children under 18 months. 

They highly suggest parents don’t lie children on their bellies or sides to sleep.

The nursery ensures that children’s beds always have fitted sheets. For newborns, they say it’s best to have warm pajamas rather than use a blanket.

Program Officer Coordinator Jasmine Standefer said safe sleep does not end with infancy.

The nursery suggests that children who can walk rest in a cot or bed that is low to the ground.

“Once a child is over 12 months or walking, they no longer sleep in a crib because if they can climb out, they might injure themselves,” Standefer explained. 

There may be no known cause for SIDS, however, the right information could make the difference.