Create a Safe Sleep Environment for Your Baby

1,436 babies died due to sleep‐related causes in Michigan from 2010-2019. A Michigan baby dies every 2 ‐ 3 days due to sleep‐related causes. Black infants are 3.8 times more likely to die than White infants. 75% of the deaths occurred in an unsafe location (like an adult bed, couch, or chair), and 69% of deaths had objects in the sleep environment (like blankets and pillows). See the Figure below. 254 sleep-related infant deaths occurred in the City of Detroit between 2010 and 2017. 88% of the sleep-related infant deaths in the City of Detroit were Black, and 8% were White. Create a safe sleep environment for your baby. Babies should sleep Alone, on their Backs, and in a crib. Babies should not sleep with blankets, no pillows, no toys, and the environment should be smoke and nicotine-free. Protect your baby and reduce your baby’s risk of sleep-related causes of infant death.