Three infants have died recently in Sabine Parish while sleeping with their parents, the sheriff says.
A post from Sheriff Ronny Richardson pleads with parents to put their infants into cribs or baby beds.
"I am in no way accusing or admonishing these parents. Many of us parents and grandparents have probably slept with our babies and were lucky," he said. "We at the Sheriffs Office simply want to appeal to anyone doing this and not putting the children in their crib or baby bed to realize the possibility of tragedy exists."
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, about 3,500 infants die every year in the U.S. from sleep-related deaths. The number of babies that die from SIDS has been falling, but the number of babies that die from accidental suffocation in bed with their parents is rising.
Here's a page on the AAP website with tips for healthy and safe sleep for baby: https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/child_death_review/Pages/Safe-Sleep.aspx
Here's the post from the Sabine Sheriff:
