Alexandria health officials are advising parents with small children to drink in moderation on New Year’s Eve, citing a recent study that found that the number of sudden infant death syndrome cases reported each year rises on dates following national celebrations associated with alcohol and drugs. Research by sociologists at the University of California/San Diego, linked on the Alexandria’s Web site, found that cases of sudden infant death syndrome, also known as SIDS or crib death, surge by 33 percent on New Year’s Day. Similar surges follow other holidays, from nationally recognized celebrations like Independence Day to unofficial holidays such as April 20, also known as 4/20, on which some people celebrate marijuana smoking, according to the study.
The study also found evidence that the number of SIDS cases rises following weekends in which alcohol consumption increases.
“We know that when people are under the influence of alcohol, their judgments are impaired and they are not as good at performing tasks. This would include caretaking,” said David Phillips, sociologist and lead researcher on the study.
The study is quick to clarify that it does not, and cannot, definitively link alcohol consumption as a cause of sudden infant death syndrome.
But Alexandria Health Director Stephen Haering said there was enough evidence to warn Alexandria residents celebrating New Year’s Eve.
“What we’re recommending is [that] just like we as a society have the ‘designated driver,’ parents should actually have a designated baby-care provider if they’re going to celebrate New Year’s by drinking,” Haering said. “So that way, if you are drinking, your impaired judgment will not endanger your child.”
Haering pointed to advice from the Back to Sleep campaign, an effort urging parents and caregivers to always put infants on their backs when putting them to bed. Infants should always sleep alone in a crib with a firm mattress, with all toys and stuffed animals removed, he said.
“I know a lot of this is common sense and has been said a lot,” Haering said, “but many times people forget it.”
