November was Infant Safe Sleep Month.

“On Nov. 21, I had the privilege of joining Lycoming County Coroner Chuck Kiessling and his wife Gayle to recognize November as Infant Safe Sleep Month in Pennsylvania,” said state Rep. Joe Hamm, R-Hepburn Township.

Hamm represents Lycoming and Sullivan counties in the 84th House district.

“I presented Coroner Kiessling a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to demonstrate Pennsylvania’s commitment to ensuring safe sleep practices are followed for infants,” Hamm stated.

In 1994, the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) recommended that infants be placed on their backs to sleep.

The safest environment for babies is alone on their backs in an empty crib with a tightly fitted sheet and sufficient sleepwear.

Continued advocacy by Cribs for Kids, a non-profit organization, resulted in the passage of Act 73 of 2010, the “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Education and Prevention Program Act.”

“I want to thank Coroner Kiessling for his continued work in making sure people in our communities are properly educated about infant safe sleep,” Hamm said.

“November is the perfect month to remind all caregivers to check infant sleep environments to prevent needless tragedies. Children are precious and we must do everything we can to keep them safe and protect their well-being.”

Kiessling said the importance of this awareness campaign can’t be overlooked, as it is often one of the worst situations for the family, and emergency medical services providers and his office whenever there is an infant death that could have been prevented by learning the right techniques for putting babies to rest in their cribs.