CINCINNATI — Hamilton County Job and Family Services are working to reverse a trend where infant mortality has increased due to unsafe sleeping conditions.
Last year, 21 infants passed away from unsafe sleeping situations in Hamilton County, according to Hamilton County Job and Family Services (HCJFS).
That’s why the organization is hitting the streets to raise awareness and provide supplies in Cincinnati.
Administrator Grace Muntz and the team at Hamilton County Job and Family Services are making sure families in Cincinnati are prepared.
“We have had the highest infant mortality in safe sleep-related deaths in the last year,” Muntz said.
The 21 infant deaths in Hamilton County were the highest in nearly a decade. So JFS is working, rain or shine, to turn the trend around.
“It is expensive to buy safe sleep material,” Muntz said. “So we’re giving away today swaddles, sleep bags, we’ve got onesies, T-shirts and then a board book for little kids to go over safe sleep.
She said less is more when it comes to keeping an infant safe as they sleep.
“Your baby should be alone in their crib on their back with nothing else,” Muntz said. “You can use swaddles, you can use sleep sacks but definitely not blankets. Even the nice bumpers you see are not safe for kids under one.”
She said suffering a tragic loss of life in this manner is a reality but it is preventable.
“It’s a tragedy when any family faces it,” Muntz said. “So we’re hopefully out here giving parents education. And we’re giving them the material they need to practice safe sleep.”
The JFS team is passionate about helping in any way they can.
“This is the first step in some time because of COVID that we’re actually out in the community,” Muntz said. “We’re able to help people be preventative and we can be proactive for our community.”
The Safe Sleep Tour continues Friday. HCJFS will be at 1621 Linn St. from 10 a.m. to noon and finally in Walnut Hills at 954 E. McMillan St. from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
More information may be found on the HCJFS website.
