Are Magazine Ads Endangering Infants?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents and caretakers put infants to sleep on their backs, and to avoid loose bedding, soft sleeping surfaces and bed sharing, which can reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
A recent study in the Journal of Pediatrics examined close to 400 pictures of sleeping babies from 28 womens magazines and found that infants were often portrayed curled up on their sides or sleeping on their bellies in many advertisements.
CMCH Director, Dr. Michael Rich, argues that parents should question infant sleeping images in the popular press and should adhere to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines for safe infant sleep by putting their babies to sleep on their back, not on their side.