The Lullaby Trust Baby Check

The Lullaby Trust Baby Check contains 19 simple checks which test for different symptoms or signs of illness. Each check has a score. Go through all checks, the scores will be automatically added. The higher the score the sicker the baby is likely to be. This app has been designed to help you decide whether your baby needs a doctor. Although it is accurate most of the time, its advice cannot be guaranteed. If you are still worried about your baby, consult a doctor.

The Lullaby Trust Baby Check was developed from a 4-year project which analysed the signs and symptoms of illness in over 1,000 babies under 6 months of age. There were 300 well babies at home and 700 babies in hospital with a variety of illnesses. All signs and symptoms were analysed to find the combination which could be used to assess the severity of a baby’s illness with the most accuracy. The 19 signs and symptoms now used in Baby Check were found to give the most accurate assessment.

The accuracy and acceptability of The Lullaby Trust Baby Check has been tested in several field trials.

Acknowledgments:
The parents and babies who assisted with the research project and: The Friends of the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths; Australian Institute of Health; Ross Trust; Felton Bequests; H & L Hecht Trust; Percy Baxter Charitable Trust; A Williams Private Fund. The research was done in the Dept. Paediatrics, University of Cambridge; MRC Dunn Nutrition Laboratory, Cambridge; Dept. of General Paediatrics, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne Australia. The photograph on page 6 was reproduced with kind permission from Prof Dr B Smalhout’s book, “The Suffocating Child”.
The text about temperature has been changed from the advice given in the original Baby Check booklet and now complies with current National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
Copyright: The Lullaby Trust

The research team consisted of:
Dr Peter Hewson in Melbourne Australia;
Dr Colin Morley, Dr Tim Cole and Mrs Alison
Thornton in Cambridge.
The illustrations are by Anna Hymas.
The ISBN Number is: 0 9525227 0 5


The Baby Check app has been provided to you free of charge from The Lullaby Trust and Birmingham Community Health Care Trust (BCHC).
The Lullaby Trust provides expert advice on safer sleep for babies supports bereaved families and raises awareness on sudden infant death.



how baby check really works