Shayna Raphael’s daughter, Claire, was just over 10 months old. Shayna decided to take a special girls’ day off with her other, older daughter, so her husband dropped Claire off at daycare on his way to work. A few hours later, Shanya’s cellphone rang.
“ My husband called me during his workday. That's odd, so I answered the phone and he said, “You have to get to the hospital right now. Claire's there, I dunno what's going on.”
Shayna drove through rush hour traffic to the hospital. It was a 45-minute drive, but seemed like it took hours. When she finally walked into the emergency room and saw the nurse, she immediately knew: Claire was gone.
“They let my husband and I go back to see Claire, and she's just wrapped up and swaddled, and we held her for a while. And the doctor came in, and he didn't know what had happened to her.”
Shayna later learned Claire’s in-home daycare provider had Claire nap on an adult mattress. Claire likely suffocated. That’s because at Claire’s age, infants can flip from back to belly, but they don’t have the muscle coordination to flip themselves back over. Once they’re on their bellies, their breathing can be obstructed by a blanket, toy, or soft mattress—but because they can’t right themselves, they can’t breathe. Eventually, they may die.
These infant deaths are 100% preventable. Helping new parents and infant caregivers understand and practice “safe sleep” is key.
After Claire’s death, Shayna started the Claire Bear Foundation, dedicated to educating parents and caregivers around safe sleep practices. Like countless churches, daycares, parenting orgs, and others, the Clare Bear Foundation relied heavily on materials crafted by the federal government’s Safe to Sleep campaign. The Safe to Sleep team produced educational fliers, videos—all vital supports to educate parents and caregivers.
“Our foundation has always used their materials, looked to them for guidance, reached out when we've had questions. They have been instrumental in saving the lives of thousands of infants,” said Shayna.
In May 2025, Shayna learned the Safe to Sleep staff had been terminated. With their termination, the program ended. This government cut to an agency most of us have never heard of very likely will cost children their lives.
Said Shayna, “Traditionally, infant safety and keeping babies alive has been something we could all agree on. So I don't see how someone can say, ‘Well, no, we don't need that.’”
It can be hard to fathom that tucking a baby in bed with a stuffed toy, a soft blanket, or a super cushy mattress can be dangerous—even deadly. The campaign’s materials effectively explained this to thousands of parents and caregivers. But while the Safe To Sleep program’s website is still online, it hasn’t been updated—won’t be updated—and virtually all the educational materials are out of stock.
Said Shayna, “Those federal workers were responsible for saving thousands of babies from dying in their sleep. That was their job. My greatest fear is we are just going to slide back and see a huge spike in infant deaths.”
“Other families are going to have to go through what my husband and I have to go through every day, and that just makes me furious. Every decision I've made since is so Claire doesn't have this wasted life.”
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