Story highlights Nearly a quarter of grandparents didn't know infants should sleep on their backs, says study

68% did not know that cuts and scrapes should be bandaged

(CNN) Grandparents who step in for child care tend to use the same practices they did when they were parenting, but some of them may be outdated, putting their grandchildren at risk, according to a new study.

Research presented at the 2017 Pediatric Academics Societies meeting on Thursday surveyed grandparents on child care techniques such as putting children on their backs to sleep, having loose bedding in a crib and using ice baths to lower a high fever.

As more grandparents are taking on child care roles, according to the US Census Bureau , many may feel that since they raised their own children to adulthood, their methods are safe. Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New York and lead author of the study, says that is not always the case.

Some parenting practices and guidelines have changed since they were parents 20 or 30 years ago.

When you were a baby, you probably weren't strapped into a rear-facing five-point harness when riding in a car, as experts recommend. You might have tasted solid foods in the first months of life, or slept with heavy blankets and stuffed animals.

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