Support the Baby Observation Act—Protect More Babies from SIDS
The Issue
Each year, more than 3,400 babies in the United States go to sleep and don’t wake up.
They called it Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
We call it unacceptable.
The NIH’s decision to cut its “Safe to Sleep” program which provides safe sleep education to parents is a punch to the gut for parents like us who lost children to SIDS. We know safe sleep matters as was proven by the “Back to Sleep” campaign that launched in 1994 and was credited with reducing the SIDS rate by 50%.
However, the rate of SIDS is back on the rise and continues to be the leading cause of death in infants 1-12 months old.
Safe sleep practices are not the only solution but safe sleep in combination with monitoring can be.
That’s why we are asking for your help in ensuring that the Baby Observation Act (BO’s Act) passes, requiring the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to study the use of home monitoring to reduce and prevent SIDS/SUIDS.
We believe monitoring alongside safe sleep practices can and will drastically reduce the rate of SIDS because we have seen real, tangible impacts from home monitoring. Since we started the Briggs & Barrett project 7 years ago in response to losing our boys to SIDS, we have partnered with Owlet and have given more than [4,000] smart baby monitors to parents across the country. In our hometown of Norfolk, Nebraska, Norfolk Fire and Rescue has partnered with the CARES Registry (Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival), reporting data electronically since 2016 to support research and improve survival outcomes. From 2016 to January 2019, there were seven SIDS-related cardiac transfers documented by EMS. In the four years following, there were zero. We believe this is a powerful testament to the impact of education and resources available in our community.
No parent should have to go through the devastating experience of losing a child in their sleep and we believe BO’s Act could help in ensuring that parents have access to the right tools and technology to help reduce the risk of SIDS.
-Allison (Barrett’s Mom) and Melissa (Briggs’s Mom)
1,663
The Issue
Each year, more than 3,400 babies in the United States go to sleep and don’t wake up.
They called it Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
We call it unacceptable.
The NIH’s decision to cut its “Safe to Sleep” program which provides safe sleep education to parents is a punch to the gut for parents like us who lost children to SIDS. We know safe sleep matters as was proven by the “Back to Sleep” campaign that launched in 1994 and was credited with reducing the SIDS rate by 50%.
However, the rate of SIDS is back on the rise and continues to be the leading cause of death in infants 1-12 months old.
Safe sleep practices are not the only solution but safe sleep in combination with monitoring can be.
That’s why we are asking for your help in ensuring that the Baby Observation Act (BO’s Act) passes, requiring the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to study the use of home monitoring to reduce and prevent SIDS/SUIDS.
We believe monitoring alongside safe sleep practices can and will drastically reduce the rate of SIDS because we have seen real, tangible impacts from home monitoring. Since we started the Briggs & Barrett project 7 years ago in response to losing our boys to SIDS, we have partnered with Owlet and have given more than [4,000] smart baby monitors to parents across the country. In our hometown of Norfolk, Nebraska, Norfolk Fire and Rescue has partnered with the CARES Registry (Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival), reporting data electronically since 2016 to support research and improve survival outcomes. From 2016 to January 2019, there were seven SIDS-related cardiac transfers documented by EMS. In the four years following, there were zero. We believe this is a powerful testament to the impact of education and resources available in our community.
No parent should have to go through the devastating experience of losing a child in their sleep and we believe BO’s Act could help in ensuring that parents have access to the right tools and technology to help reduce the risk of SIDS.
-Allison (Barrett’s Mom) and Melissa (Briggs’s Mom)
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Petition created on May 27, 2025