ATI TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) Version 7ReadingMedium

A nurse is educating a new mother on safe sleep practices for infants. The nurse provides a pamphlet that states: "Always place your baby on their back to sleep, for naps and at night. Use a firm sleep surface, such as a crib mattress, covered with a fitted sheet. Keep the crib free of loose bedding, blankets, pillows, bumpers, and soft toys. Share your room, not your bed, with your baby for at least the first 6 months. Avoid smoking, alcohol, and illicit drug use during pregnancy and after birth. Offer a pacifier at naptime and bedtime, but do not force it." Which of the following practices, if observed, would indicate the mother needs further education on safe infant sleep?

  1. AHaving the baby sleep in a bassinet next to the mother's bed.
  2. BUsing a soft blanket to swaddle the baby inside the crib.
  3. COffering a pacifier to the baby before naps.
  4. DPlacing the baby to sleep on their back in a crib.
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B. Using a soft blanket to swaddle the baby inside the crib.

The pamphlet explicitly states, 'Keep the crib free of loose bedding, blankets, pillows, bumpers, and soft toys.' Using a soft blanket inside the crib, even for swaddling, introduces loose bedding, a SIDS risk factor.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. This aligns with 'Share your room, not your bed, with your baby', as a bassinet next to the bed is a recommended form of room-sharing.
  • C. This is explicitly recommended: 'Offer a pacifier at naptime and bedtime'.
  • D. This aligns perfectly with the instruction 'Always place your baby on their back to sleep' and 'firm sleep surface, such as a crib mattress'.

Safe Infant Sleep Practices

Guidelines established by health organizations to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related infant deaths.

  • Back to sleep is paramount.
  • Firm, clear sleep surface is essential.
  • Room-sharing, not bed-sharing, is recommended.

Memory trick: SAFE Sleep: Alone, Back, Crib, Clear!

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