Every other day a baby dies in Texas from an unsafe sleeping environment. That is according to a Texas Department of Family Protective Services report. The children are dying not because of abuse or neglect but something just as sinister -- suffocation.
The number of infants dying from unsafe sleep is on the rise in Travis County. That disturbing word came during a news conference Wednesday morning at Child Protective Services.
Members of The Child Fatality Review Team, which consists of law enforcement, child advocacy groups and medical professionals, say the number one cause of infant death in Travis County is suffocation from sharing a bed with either an adult or another child.
The group demonstrated how children die from unsafe sleeping and inappropriate bedding.
John and J.J. Eeten lost their daughter Payton three years ago when she suffocated in her parents' bed. They are now on a mission to educate parents and prevent senseless deaths.
“In the course of an hour, Payton had fallen asleep on my shoulder, and I had fallen asleep with her,” said Eeten. "Payton managed to come off my shoulder face down into a pillow on my bed."
Payton was pronounced dead a week after she was born.
Seventeen infants died of suffocation in Travis County last year. There were 12 deaths the year before. Experts say each case was preventable.
Experts say the safest place for a baby to sleep is on their back in a crib with no bumpers or stuffed animals.
