In an effort to discourage parents from sleeping in the same bed as their newborns, UMass Medical School is collaborating with local community health organizations to give away “baby boxes,” according to an article published in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
The baby box program, which is being led by the Worcester Healthy Baby Collaborative, costs about $18,500, and is being funded with part of a $3 million donation to UMMS from the Remillard Family Community Service Fund in 2015.
According to the article, organizers hope the initiative will cut down on bed-sharing, a practice that is discouraged by the American Academy of Pediatrics but relatively common in urban communities like Worcester. The recommended approach is to have babies sleep on their backs in a separate bed from their mother and father.
Sara Shields, MD, professor of family medicine and community health, told reporter Scott O’Connell, “Other types of sleep, like face-down in a crib or in a bed with the parents, have been associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.”
Up to 100 baby boxes will be available for families at Saturday’s distribution day starting at 11 am at the Pleasant Street Neighborhood Network Center. The giveaway is intended for Worcester families expecting their babies in July or August.
For more information about Worcester’s baby box program and Saturday’s distribution day, visit www.worcesterhealthybaby.org.
The full article can be read here: http://bit.ly/2yUyqPt.
