Safe Cribs for Missouri

The Safe Cribs for Missouri program provides portable cribs and safe sleep education to low-income families who have no other resources for obtaining a crib. The program is administered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) within the Office of Childhood, through federal funding from the Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant (Title V). The overall goal of the program is to support families and reduce the risk of sleep-related infant deaths.

Sleep-related infant death is the leading cause of infant mortality from one month to one year of age. Sleep-related infant death can result from unintentional suffocation/strangulation, or from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is the sudden and unexpected death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a complete investigation. The best way to prevent sleep-related deaths is for all parents and caregivers to provide a safe sleeping environment for infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published its most recent recommendations for a safe infant sleeping environment. View a summary of the AAP guidelines on safe sleep as well as the complete AAP guidelines on safe sleep.