Safe and sound: Safe sleep practices for NICU premature infants

Sleep is an essential occupation, particularly for infants. It is imperative to promote a safe and positive sleep environment while infants’ brains are rapidly developing (Edwards & Austin, 2016). Even just a few hours of sleep deprivation have been shown to create more challenges in an infant’s development (Pittner et al., 2023). Sleep is especially vital for the neurodevelopment of preterm infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) because their brains are not yet mature (Park, 2020). Studies have shown the quality of an infant’s sleep may be indicative of their physical, cognitive, and motor outcomes later in life (Park, 2020; Tham et al., 2017; Wang et al., 2024). On average, 3,600 infants in the United States die each year from sleep-related deaths (Goodstein et al., 2021). Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) can play an important role in assisting in sleep-related interventions for preterm infants.