‘So important.’ Inside Manatee County’s plan to tackle a leading cause of infant death

Manatee County Government will team up with the Early Learning Coalition to launch a new program that teaches parents how to keep their babies safe while sleeping.

In Manatee County, suffocation is the leading cause of preventable deaths in children. County data shows that 36 babies died in unsafe sleep environments between 2013 and 2023.

“We want to build awareness so that every child has the chance to reach their very first birthday,” said Rachel Spivey, director of grant management for the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County.

The nonprofit will coordinate the Sleep Baby Safely program, which will launch on July 1. It will be modeled after the same program in Pinellas County, which cut infant sleep deaths in half since it launched in 2018.

The first step is to train staff at birthing hospitals, OBGYN and pediatrician offices, private clinics, fire and police departments and daycare centers to teach safe sleep practices to parents. New parents will receive “Welcome Baby Bags,” which include a onesie and a sleep sack with a safe sleep message.

The second step is to teach at-risk parents what to do and what not to do. Experts looked at county data to determine that Bradenton, Ellenton and Palmetto were the five zip codes with the most infant sleep deaths. The data shows that most of the babies were sleeping with an adult.

“I’m sure many parents think that by having the baby in the bed, they would be able to respond more quickly to the needs of the baby, but they’re creating an unsafe sleep environment,” said Connie Shingledecker, chair of the Manatee County Children’s Services Advisory Board.

Shingledecker recommends that babies be laid down to sleep alone, on their back, in an empty crib, bassinet or Pack ‘n Play. She also points out that babies do not need to sleep with pillows, blankets, stuffed animals or other items that can cause them to suffocate.

“You have such a small amount of time that you’ll have the baby at this weakest point, where it can’t help itself and maintain its own safe sleep environment,” Shingledecker said. “It’s so important that we do that.”