Decatur Memorial Hospital providing sleeping sacks for newborns
Decatur Memorial Hospital started giving out sleeping sacks to the parents of a newborn last month. Officials hope this will spread awareness and save more lives.
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The hospital is taking a new approach when caring for babies and their families. One nurse said it's important as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, also called SIDS, is starting to rise.
'It is the leading cause of death in infants under one years old,' said nurse manager Danielle Collins. 'And that leads to a variety of different things. It leads to people co-sleeping with their baby, people seeing different things that are not safe on the market for their baby to use.'
Collins said to babies, the tight-fitting sleep sacks are comfortable because it symbolizes the womb. In the last few weeks, the hospital has passed out nearly 40 of them.
'This has been in works for well over six-eight months of getting the sleep sacks purchased, the foundation providing them for us,' Collins said.
The Illinois Department of Human Services said every three days a baby in Illinois dies in their sleep. The hospital's foundation director, Paul Lidy, said Decatur Memorial has 1,100 sleeping sacks ready to go which will hopefully prevent this problem from getting worse.
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'Our goal is to help right from the get-go with a new baby to make sure that they are safely sleeping,' Lidy said.
He said the stock is expected to last until 2026, since normally they average between 800-900 births a year.
'We used to give out a baby spoon, something that was sentimental but maybe not as usable,' Lidy said. 'This is a direct way that we can impact that baby by safe swaddling them.'
Collins said they're just pushing the initiative to avoid common causes of infant death.
'Myself and my team are here to do every day, day in, day out,' Collins said. 'We want to provide the best quality care we can for our patients; see them not only as a patient, but as a family.'
These sleeping sacks are available to every newborn in the hospital.
The Illinois Department of Human Services said bed sharing with an infant is up to 10 times higher now. In 2022, there were more than 1,500 deaths related to SIDS.
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See more below about why a baby's sleep space requires a hard, firm surface but the short answer is it's safest and best for them. This bassinet is Greenguard Gold Certified for low chemical emissions. ✔️ EXTRAS: Newton also sells a bedside sleeper, with one side that lowers, for about $100 more. $199.99 at ✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: It was just a matter of time before a company created a SNOO-ish smart bassinet that can sense cries for a lower price. The SmartSense has what Graco calls "cry detection technology." You plug it in, and sound from your crying baby activates the bassinet to start rocking to soothe them back to sleep. Parents can also manually rock this basinet, giving them more options. ✔️ TESTING NOTES: A consumer tester gave this high marks, saying, "I really liked all the tech features, but specifically the built-in white noise. The soothing mode definitely works. 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A storage shelf underneath can hold burp cloths and spare pajamas. ✔️ TESTING NOTES: Adjust this to any of four heights and slide the top closer or further away from your bed as needed. The high mesh sides add to the feeling of safety and security, but because they don't flex, you will have to bend over to scoop your infant out. The Iora folds flat and fits into the included carry bag so it can be portable. That also makes it possible to store under your bed during the day if needed. But the bassinet weighs 26 pounds, so you're not going to want to carry it around often. Its heaviness does contribute to its sturdiness, though. ✔️ EXTRAS: If you want to match back to your bedroom the Iora also comes in colors like green and slate gray. $239.99 at Baby Crib and Bassinet ✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: This new innovation is a little different: It's a bassinet for the first five months and then transitions into a crib that you can use until age 2. You lower the mattress and change the legs to do the conversion. ✔️ TESTING NOTES: "This is a simple, clean-looking crib. The mattress is comfortable. Our son enjoys it," one of our home testers said. Another added, "I liked that the all-mesh netting around the crib made me feel like it's safe for my baby's different sleeping positions and breathing. It's airy." A third said the bassinet is approximately bedside height, and "That makes it easy to see in." This is so lightweight at 15 pounds that some testers mistook it for a travel crib. It is somewhat portable, but it's mostly built to replace a bigger, heavier wooden crib, especially in a small-space home. It comes with an organic cotton crib sheet. With this, you will need to move your child to a toddler bed at age 2. ✔️ EXTRAS: BabyBjörn also has a cradle that works from birth to 6 months. It's a similar Scandinavian look for less money, but then you will need a full-size crib too. $499.99 at Twin ✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: Expecting two? This functions much the way the regular BassiNest does, but is double-wide to accommodate infant twins. Twin babies are obviously used to being close together, which is why it's so nice to give them a shared bassinet. This provides a mesh wall between them, so they can see each other and interact without smushing into each other and waking each other up or causing any worry that one baby will get themselves on top of the other. ✔️ TESTING NOTES: Like with the Halo for singletons, the top can rotate toward an adult bed. The walls on each side can bend a bit so a parent can easily get a baby out for feeding or soothing. This comes with a nightlight, vibrations and several soothing sounds and lullabies, which all run on three AA batteries. It's heavy, a little more than 45 pounds once assembled, so you'll want to just leave it set up next to your bed. ✔️ EXTRAS: This comes with four fitted sheets. If you need more, buy the special fitted sheets for this. $484.99 at we test bassinets The engineers, scientists and journalists at the Good Housekeeping Institute work hand-in-hand to test consumer products such as baby bassinets. We also test in homes with product testers and use our proprietary consumer data as much as possible. We have evaluated more than 20 baby bassinets that meet or exceed federal standards, looking for ones that have additional third party certifications such as JPMA certification. When testing, we look at: ✔️ Ease of assembly: Few bassinets are ready to go out of the box. We build them ourselves to make sure they aren't too tricky and that they're sturdy when constructed. ✔️ Portability: If a bassinet is touted as being for travel, we fold it down and make sure it's easy to move around. Even for the heavier bassinets that will mostly stay in one place, we move each across hard floor and carpet and give it a rating from 1 to 5 for ease of movement. ✔️ Electronics: We plug in or add batteries to every bassinet that has motion or sound features. We test these in the Parents and Pets Lab but also lean heavily on home tests and the opinion of parents, especially for reports of how the electronics work over time. ✔️ Dimensions: Size and height of a bedside bassinet are so important to parents in small spaces, so we double-check length, width and to consider when shopping for the best bassinet A bassinet can reduce the risk of SIDS by keeping your baby close to you but in their own sleep space. It can also make breastfeeding and/or C-section recovery easier. The following tend to trip up new parents looking for a bassinet, so here's our advice. ✔️ Do not use a vintage bassinet or cradle. Antique cradles are not safe. They usually don't have mesh sides and often feature flouncy bedding that is a suffocation hazard. As with so much baby gear, the newer the better. Safety regulations have come a long way. ✔️ Trust the bedding the bassinet comes with and don't add to it. An exception is buying a fitted sheet or a mattress sold specifically for your bassinet. When thinking about comfort features, remember where your newborn slept at the hospital: a flat, firm plastic bassinet. Newborns are different than adults and don't need soft cushions — in fact, a cushiony space is dangerous for them. ✔️ Bassinets are made to be bedside sleepers. They don't need to literally attach to your bed to be convenient, but sometimes bassinets do pull right up to the adult bed. That said, you don't have to keep the bassinet next to you. You can place it in your room but near the glider where you do feedings, for instance. ✔️ Motions and sounds can help an infant sleep. Every baby is different, but we've long known that some babies instantly fall asleep in a baby swing or a moving car, so it makes sense that there are now sleepers that mimic those motions. Unfortunately, you will not know if your newborn loves vibrations until you try. We are also fans of bassinets that don't move, because some babies who sleep with motion might then have trouble with our next point... ✔️ Eventually you'll need to transition your baby to the crib. Talk with your pediatrician, but most suggest for this happen at 4 to 6 months. You definitely need to move your baby out of the bassinet when they can get themselves up on their knees. You might start by lying your baby down for naps in a crib. Another idea is to transition the bassinet into the nursery before making the change, or move the crib into your room during the transition (if it fits!). We have no magic formula, but do suggest using tools such as a sound machine as well as a baby monitor so you can determine whether your baby is fussing to sleep or if they really need baby bassinets safe? Yes, and bassinets are recommended by pediatricians. The Children's Hospital of Philadelipia (CHOP) offers these additional tips for choosing baby furniture. Look for: ✔️ A sturdy bottom and a wide base for stability ✔️ Smooth surfaces (no protruding staples or other hardware that could injure the baby) ✔️ Legs with strong, effective locks to prevent folding while in use ✔️ A firm mattress that fits snuglyWhy are bassinets so hard? Baby mattresses, including those in a bassinet, are supposed to feel hard. If it feels too hard to you, it's probably actually correct and safe for your baby. According to the AAP, a firm mattress is critical in reducing the risk of SIDS. It should be firm enough that it does not conform to the shape of your child's head. Newborns and young infants lack the motor control needed to turn over, and a too-soft mattress might result in suffocation. Firm support also protects a newborn's soft you need a bassinet for your newborn? Not necessarily. You do need a safe sleep space for your baby, along with a car seat — those and diapers are the three "musts" for bringing a newborn home. Everything else is just to make your life easier. We understand that using a bassinet for four to six months and then switching to a crib can seem like an annoyance, money-wise, but a Good Housekeeping Institute Lab director, Stefani Sassos, explains why she loves using a bassinet: "Both the AAP and our pediatrician recommended having our newborn sleep in the same room as us for the first few months, which is based on some compelling research showing that this can decrease the risk of SIDS and more." Sassos says, "We had both of our kids sleep in our room in a bedside bassinet for the first few months. Not only does it make those middle-of-the-night diaper changes and feeds a bit easier, but it helped me better respond and learn their cues." So the full answer is no, you don't need a bassinet as long as your baby has a crib or a playard or other safe sleep space — but having a bedside bassinet near you at night can make that first half-year with a baby a whole lot trust Good Housekeeping? The Good Housekeeping Institute has been testing consumer products for more than 100 years, including products for new parents like air purifiers and the best family cars. Some of our bassinet picks were tested by mom of two Lexie Sachs, the executive director of the Good Housekeeping Institute with a degree in fiber science. Sachs knows good sleep — she helms our annual Bedding Awards and tests baby-specific textiles such as the best crib sheets. That's her second-born in the photo, testing the SNOO. This article was written by Contributing Writer Jessica Hartshorn who has covered the juvenile-product market for 25 years, including at American Baby magazine and Parents magazine. She has written about all kinds of parenting products for the Institute, including the best car seat and stroller combos. You Might Also Like 67 Best Gifts for Women That'll Make Her Smile The Best Pillows for Every Type of Sleeper
