Catawba County News
Safe Sleep Kits, Education for Parents of Newborns
Published: April 01, 2026
SAFE SLEEP EDUCATION, KITS PROVIDED FOR PARENTS OF NEWBORNS
Catawba County Public Health has launched a safe sleep initiative to help new parents provide a safe sleeping environment for newborn babies.
Catawba County Public Health’s Care Management programs were awarded $8,000 from the Dr. Ann Wolfe Foundation to provide education and resources to new parents to prevent infant sleep-related deaths. The grant will allow Care Managers in the Care Management for At-Risk Children and Care Management for High-Risk Pregnancy and Postpartum/Newborn Home Visiting programs to provide enhanced safe-sleep education for soon-to-be and new parents who meet eligibility criteria.
A safe sleep environment is critical to preventing sleep-associated infant deaths. This grant allows Care Managers to provide education and a Pack ‘N Play for parents who are participating in the Care Management for At Risk Children program. These give babies a safe place to sleep nearby but separate from parents.
The Safe Sleep Kit consists of a portable Pack ‘N Play crib, which is a safe alternative to a traditional crib, a fitted crib sheet with a safe sleep message, a sleep sack, pacifier, educational materials and a children’s book.
Parents who receive kits also participate in the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation’s Baby’s Easy Safe Sleep Training Program, which provides information about safe sleep practices. Public Health staff members follow up with participants after one month to learn how they have maintained their baby’s safe sleep environment.
The Children’s Advocacy and Protection Center of Catawba County recommends the following practices for creating a safe sleep environment:
- Always put babies on their backs to sleep
- Place baby alone in his or her own crib or bassinet
- Use a firm mattress with a tight-fitting sheet
- Remove toys, stuffed animals, pillows, crib bumpers, and other objects from sleeping area
- Keep face and head uncovered
- Use a wearable sleep sack rather than a loose blanket
- Keep cigarette smoke away from the baby
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID), which includes Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), is the leading cause of death in infants ages 1 to 12 months old. Most of these deaths happen while the infant is in an unsafe sleep environment, which can cause accidental suffocation or strangulation from things like soft bedding or a person rolling too close to or on top of the infant while co-sleeping.
“New parents may not realize that seemingly innocent actions such as sleeping in bed with their baby or placing a pillow in their newborn’s crib can have heartbreaking consequences,” said Jennifer McCracken, Catawba County Public Health Director. “We hope this program will increase safe sleep awareness and help parents use these simple but vitally important safe sleep practices to prevent infant deaths.”
Promoting safe sleep practices is one of the key strategies the Catawba County Child Fatality Task Force has been working on and this initiative will amplify this work in our community.
Funding for the safe sleep initiative is provided through a Wolfe Mini Grant awarded to Public Health by the North Carolina Public Health Association. The program aims to provide Safe Sleep Kits and training to more than 80 local families. For more information about our Care Management programs, call (828) 695-5800.