Sudden infant death: A closer look at the images conveyed by diaper packages

These positions would distort prevention messages. In several European countries, diaper packaging features images of sleeping babies that do not meet guidelines to prevent sudden death, a team of researchers warned Monday following a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Sudden infant death syndrome is the unexpected death of an infant under one year of age that remains unexplained after a full investigation. Stomach sleeping position was identified as a major risk factor in the early 1990s. Other factors were then described, such as soft sleeping surfaces (pillow, stuffed animal, duvet, etc.) and co-sleeping.

250 to 350 deaths per year

Over the past thirty years, sleep recommendations have reduced the incidence of sudden death by 80% in France, which now amounts to between 250 and 350 deaths per year. However, in a number of European countries, including France, incidence rates are no longer falling or are falling only slightly, and there is a high incidence of parental sleep practices that do not meet recommendations.

Researchers from Inserm, Université Paris Cité and HEC Paris, in collaboration with AP-HP, Nantes University Hospital and other European research institutions, had the idea to study the images present on the packaging of diapers for babies weighing less than 5 kg in 11 European countries, including France. 49% of the 631 diaper packages found showed a picture of a sleeping baby. Of these, 79% of packages (or 39% of all packages) failed to meet at least one recommendation for preventing sudden death, according to the research team.

We could observe in detail how the child sleeps in a lying position in 51% of them or shares a sleeping surface with another person in 10% of them. Diaper bags aren’t the only culprit: Studies of images of sleeping babies in parenting magazines, crib brochures or commercial photography websites have shown alarming rates of non-compliance with safe sleep recommendations, according to researchers.

They petitioned for an ordinance or law to prohibit the use of photographs and images of sleeping babies for commercial or official purposes without following safe sleep guidelines. It has already been signed by the Higher Health Authority and the French Societies of Pediatrics and Neonatology.