Back to Sleep Campaign

The New Year brings exciting things for TPP.  We have been asked to be a part of the UIHC NICUs “Back to Sleep” Campaign.  This campaign is designed to help babies transition from the NICU to home. 

To help with this campaign, the NICU is asking us to sew a blanket sleeper for every baby at their unit.  These sleepers are designed to help babies sleep once they go home and are used to decrease the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

The following information was provided to TPP by Kayti Steffen (nurse manager) and Mary-Faith Fuller (NICU nurse and TPP Board Member)
A series of recommendations by the AAP in 1995 showed a dramatic decrease in the incidence of SIDS after implementation.  These recommendations include removing loose blankets and soft objects and placing baby on their back for sleep.  Swaddling blankets are also discouraged because they can become loose in the bed, which presents a risk for SIDS.  The AAP recommends using blanket sleepers to keep babies warm without loose swaddling blankets.  The AAP also recommends placing baby on their backs to sleep. 

The UIHC NICU plans to use blanket sleepers as the standard for all babies being discharged from their unit.  While the babies are swaddled for the majority of their time in the NICU, the nurses will transition to the sleepers 48-72 hours prior to discharge.  This will allow the babies to get used to being unswaddled.  A blanket sleeper will go home with each baby to be ease the transition to sleeping in a new environment.  In addition, these sleepers serve as a constant reminder of the proper way to lay down their baby to prevent SIDS.

The UIHC NICU needs our help to make the “Back to Sleep Campaign” a success!  These sleepers can be extremely costly in the store.  In addition, these sleepers are often sized 0-12 months and are too big for newborns.  Our Board of Directors discussed the need for these sleepers at our Jan. 6th and unanimously decided to make them a part of our mission! 

This is a big project that we have been researching behind the scenes for a couple of months. We have received all of the info from the NICU and now need to put things into action! 

1. NICU has requested ~900 sleepers/yr in three different sizes
2. Patterns: These will all be sewn.  We have created patterns that will be tested out during our January 2009 Work Group.  Once we feel confident in them, the sewing patterns will be made available via our website.
3. Fabric and Notions: The NICU has requested FLEECE only.  We are using the profits from our fundraisers to purchase the fleece, thread, zippers and snaps.  We will also be posting information about supplies you can donate to support this project.

We hope you will join us for our January 2009 Work Group to learn more about the new Blanket Sleepers and the “Back to Sleep Campaign”!  Please feel free to with any questions.