Bill would aid campaign to stop crib death

(AP) - Proponents of SB172 hope no more Nevada babies die because of an unsafe sleep situation.

The bill, up before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday, aims to create a more structured campaign teaching parents not to let their baby sleep next to another person, or with too many pillows of stuffed animals.

Statistics from the Nevada State Health Division show that in 2009, 218 Nevada babies younger than a year old died. Of those, eight died of suffocation from an unsafe sleeping arrangement and three died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

The program would create a tracking system to ensure all new parents get information about safe sleep practices. The total cost would be about $129,000 in the upcoming biennium, likely funded by a federal grant.