A funding boost will help keep more babies safe on Central and North Vancouver Island.
Island Health says the Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island has provided $350,000 to expand the baby bed program to all new families in the central and north regions.
The baby bed program offers an infant bed made of heavy cardboard, a mattress, sheets and a onesie for an infant to sleep in.
The health authority says they’re a safe place for babies to sleep to prevent the risks of sleep-related deaths, which are the leading cause of preventable death in healthy infants.
The beds can be used until babies are up to four or five months old, or when they begin to roll.
Participating families are also connected to public health nurses and programs that support baby, mom and family.
To get a baby bed, Island Health is encouraging all pregnant women to register with the Right From the Start program, which offers pre- and post-natal services and breastfeeding support.
The Baby Bed program first launched in 2015 in the Cowichan Valley, Port Alberni, Comox, Campbell River and Mount Waddington regions
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