Bill advanced that would require new parents to receive infant sleep information

HARTFORD -- A bill that would require Connecticut hospitals to provide parents of newborns with information about safe sleep practices has cleared the state Senate.

The Senate passed the bill on Wednesday, sending it to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Under the bill, hospitals would provide recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics to parents before they bring their newborn home from the hospital. Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, a father of two, said many new parents are unaware of recommendations such as having babies sleep without blankets.

The Center for Children's Advocacy at the UConn School of Law reports unsafe sleep-related deaths is the leading cause of preventable deaths of Connecticut infants. In 2013, 18 of 23 infants who died unexpectedly in their sleep had risk factors associated with their sleep environments.