Infant Safe Sleep Laws in Five States

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 3,500 babies die suddenly in their sleep each year. Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), which occurs when babies are less than one year old, is one of the top five causes of infant mortality in the United States.

A number of states have implemented laws and regulations aimed at preventing SUID.

Infant Safe Sleep Laws in Five States

This resource provides a brief overview of statutory and regulatory provisions related to SUID prevention in five states. The jurisdictions were selected based on initial research on the comprehensiveness of state legal approaches to SUID prevention. Information for each state is provided in the following categories :

1. Parent Education – lists legal provisions requiring that health care institutions provide information on safe sleep practices to maternity patients or the parents or legal guardians of infants.
2. Child Care Training – lists legal provisions requiring that employees or volunteers of licensed child care facilities receive training or education on safe sleep practices, SUID prevention, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) prevention.
3. Child Care Procedures – lists legal provisions requiring that licensed child care facilities follow safe sleep practices.
4. Adoptive or Foster Parent Training – lists legal provisions establishing safe sleep training requirements for prospective adopters or foster parents.
5. Foster Care Procedures – lists legal provisions mandating that foster parents follow safe sleep practices.
6. Other – lists additional legal provisions related to SUID prevention.