PULSE Magazine | October 2019 Issue

While the prevalence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in the United States has decreased by 50% over the last 20 years, SIDS remains the leading cause of death for U.S. infants 1 month to 1 year of age. Each year, about 4,000 infants die unexpectedly during sleep time from SIDS.

This SIDS Awareness Month , is to highlight SIDS resources and research to help parents, caregivers, and medical professionals reduce the risk of SIDS.

SIDS is defined as the sudden, unexplained death of an infant younger than 1 year of age that remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation. This includes a complete autopsy, a full examination of the death scene, and a review of the infant’s and family health history. The exact cause of SIDS remains unknown—in fact, researchers suspect multiple conditions may lead to SIDS —but we do know many ways to reduce a baby’s risk.

The campaign provides information on how to create a safe sleep environment for babies, as well as on ways to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death, including:

 Place a baby on his or her back when you are putting them to bed. Make sure to do this at all times. It’s a common mistake that parents think placing a child on their back to sleep may cause them to choke on spit-up, but their gag reflex will wake them up and stop them from choking. If a child sleeps on their stomach, they are more likely to breathe in less air.  Use a firm sleep surface, like a mattress in a safety approved crib. Put a tightly fitted sheet over the mattress. It’s very important That you keep toys, even cuddly teddy bears, out of the crib while the infant sleeps. The less that’s in the crib, the less chance there is of suffocation when a baby is rolling around in their sleep.  The baby can share your room, but not your bed. Even though it may be tempting to snuggle your little one at all hours of the night, accidental suffocation and strangulation can happen quite easily if you share a bed. Sharing a bed may increase the chance of SIDS by about 50%.  Dress your baby in cozy sleep clothing instead of using a blanket.  Making sure nothing covers your baby’s face or head  Keeping pillows, blankets, or crib bumpers out of your baby’s sleep area  Breastfeeding your baby  Do not allow smoking around your baby. Smoking around an infant is a major risk factor for SIDS.

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