The Daily Echo has launched a poster campaign warning mothers of the dangers of sleeping with their babies.
The move comes after it was revealed that eight babies had died in just six months in Hampshire after falling asleep in the same bed as their parents.
The poster, pictured above, will be displayed in doctors’ surgeries, the Princess Anne Hospital and police stations.
Daily Echo editor Ian Murray said: “The Daily Echo is pleased to be involved in highlighting this important issue.
There can be no worse tragedy than the loss of a child.
”The campaign is backed by Southampton Primary Care Trust, Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, Hampshire Police and the Foundation for the Study of Infant Death (FSID).
The safest place for your baby to sleep is in a cot in your room for the first six months.
Do not share a bed with your baby:
- If you or your partner are smokers (no matter where or when you smoke)
- If you have been drinking alcohol; If you take medication or drugs that make you drowsy
- If you feel very tired
- Or if your baby was born prematurely, was small at birth, or has a high temperature.
Never sleep with a baby on a sofa or armchair.
There is also a risk that you might roll over in your sleep and suffocate your baby, or that your baby could get caught between the wall and the bed, or could roll out of an adult bed and be injured.
For advice and information call the FSID Helpline on 020 7233 2090 or go to www.sids.org.uk
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