Building Workforce Capacity to Prevent Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: A Multidisciplinary Professional Training Series

Spencer Poston, MSc

Sleep-related infant deaths, including suffocation and SIDS, remain the leading cause of post-neonatal mortality in the United States despite decades of public health education promoting infant safe sleep. While many professionals who work with infants and families receive foundational education on safe sleep recommendations, fewer receive role-specific training on how to apply this knowledge in practice. Professionals across disciplines – including child welfare workers, home visitors, childcare providers, first responders, nurses, and doulas – routinely encounter families in settings where unsafe sleep practices can be identified, discussed, and addressed. However, many report uncertainty regarding how safe sleep fits within their professional role, how to communicate recommendations effectively, and how to navigate common barriers faced by families.

Cribs for Kids developed the Professional Training Series, a multidisciplinary educational initiative designed to provide targeted, accessible safe sleep training tailored to the unique roles, responsibilities, and settings of professionals who support families with infants. Completion of the organization’s Safe Sleep Ambassador training serves as a prerequisite to provide consistent foundational knowledge. Each module incorporates evidence-based safe sleep education, profession-specific case scenarios, assessment strategies, strengths-based communication techniques, and practical, customizable tools designed for real-world use. Each module is reviewed by a multidisciplinary advisory board to ensure content is realistic and impactful to the intended audience.

Since launching in June 2025, the Professional Training Series has enrolled over 600 participants across all included disciplines (as of May 2026). Participants complete a post-test and evaluation survey following each module. Early feedback demonstrates high satisfaction, with an average participant rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars. Qualitative feedback highlights increased confidence in initiating safe sleep conversations and integrating safe sleep support into routine professional practice.

Profession-specific safe sleep training may help bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical implementation by equipping providers with the tools and problem-solving strategies needed to support families effectively. This program offers a broadly accessible, sustainable model for integrating standardized education across systems that interact with families. Strengthening workforce preparedness through targeted training may enhance consistency in safe sleep messaging, preserve trust in client-provider relationships, improve early identification of unsafe sleep practices, and support broader injury prevention efforts aimed at reducing sleep-related infant deaths.

1. Describe key gaps in traditional safe sleep education that contribute to inconsistent implementation of safe sleep practices across professional settings.
2. Identify the core components of a multidisciplinary professional training model designed to promote safe sleep, strengthen risk perception, and improve communication with families.
3. Discuss opportunities to implement and integrate standardized safe sleep training into existing systems that support infants and families.