Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, is the largest known cause of death in

children under the age of one. This terrifying syndrome occurs while the baby is
sleeping. To date there is no known cure, or reason for that matter, as to why some
children are affected while others aren’t. But the simple fact is that
over 2,500 babies die in the US each year from SIDS. Although the number of deaths
have been lowered by around 40% by taking several preventative approaches and
incorporating baby sleep safety methods to safe guard children from SIDS, there is
no known way to fully avoid the occurrence of SIDS.

Baby Sleep Safety Tips

Here are some tips that can help to reduce the risk of SIDS:

*Lay baby on his or her back. SIDS has been closely linked to children sleeping on
their tummies.

*Use a firm mattress. Avoid fluffy toys or pillows that may cause suffocation.

*Don’t let baby get over heated during the night. Babies have a higher body
temperature than we do and don’t require as many blankets – Don’t let baby freeze
either though!

*Don’t smoke, drink alcohol or take drugs before or after baby’s birth. Cigarette
smoke is a known contributor to SIDS.

*Participate in early and parental care clinics, especially if you are a first time
parent.

*Breast feed baby if at all possible. Babies that are breast-fed are statistically
less likely to die from SIDS.

*Offer your baby a pacifier during the first year of life. It is not known why but
babies that are given pacifiers in the early stages of life are less likely to be
claimed by SIDS.

*Don’t sleep with baby in the same bed or let baby sleep in an adult bed. The baby
has a greater risk of suffocation when in a bed designed for an adult. It is ok to
comfort and feed baby in bed as long as he or she is returned to his or her proper
bed afterward.

SIDS is unlike any other syndrome or disease. Most conditions surrounding an

infant’s death are diagnosed by the symptoms associated with the death. SIDS on the
other hand is only given as a diagnosis once all other possibilities are ruled out.

Risk Factors

There are several specific risk factors or notable trends that can be seen in data
relating to SIDS. These risks should be addressed and noted by parents that have
babies in a high-risk category.

*More boys than girls die from SIDS. There is not much that can be done about this
statistic, it is more of
a notation.

*Smoking, drinking alcohol and drug use are believed to be among the main
contributing factors to SIDS. Simply put, if you value the life of your child,
refrain from using harmful drugs such as these!

*Poor parental care. Inexperienced or young parents are the highest risk. As long
as a parent takes the time to get early and regular parental care checks and have
the support of family and friends, there is much less risk of this occurring.

*Premature babies are at a high risk of SIDS. Premature babies are born with a
disadvantage to begin with and are usually very weak and under developed. This is
more a notation than a prevention.

*Mothers who are younger that 20 are at risk of having a baby die from SIDS. This
can be for a variety of reasons such as inexperience or unintentional neglect.

By using the above tips and making yourself aware of the risk factors and taking
baby sleep safety precautions you can reduce the likelihood of losing a child to
SIDS. For parents who have lost a child to SIDS there are many wonderful support
groups available to help go through the grieving process.