Preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, is a problem that every parent is terrified of. New mothers especially worry that their baby will fall victim to this dreaded affliction, and may even check several times per night to be sure their baby is still breathing. It is a very frightening problem, because we still don't have a definitive answer as to what causes it. Sadly, about 7,000 infants fall victim to SIDS ever year in the United States.

SIDS is often called crib death, because most children who fall victim to it die in their sleep while in their crib or bassinet. It is a tragic event, and the most unfortunate thing is that doctors still have not been able to explain it.

There are some theories as to what causes SIDS. Some people believe that SIDS is caused by the child suffocating in thick blankets or because they are sleeping in a bad position. Some believe it is because a child is overheated. Some believe other factors are to blame, such as infections, birth defects, or failure to develop part of the body properly. The truth is, SIDS is actually a catch-all name for the unexplainable death of an infant, so no one can really say for sure what causes it. It may really be an identifiable problem that has not been discovered yet, or it may just be that infants are very delicate creatures and are occasionally prone to falling victim to a variety of random events.

Unfortunately, since SIDS has no verifiable cause, you cannot do anything to truly prevent it. But there are a number of things you can do to reduce the risk.

First of all, babies should sleep on their backs, especially when unsupervised. If you are putting your baby to bed in his crib or bassinet, you should always put him on his back. If your baby will be sleeping somewhere nearby, such as on a blanket on the floor beside you, you may allow him to sleep for a while on his side to take pressure off the back of his head. Always putting your baby to sleep on his back does have the unfortunate side effect of flattening the back of his skill. Luckily, this is a temporary affliction that will correct itself within your baby's first year or so of life. At any rate, it is better to risk a flat head than the chance that your child might die from SIDS!

Your child should never be put to bed on pillows or fluffy blankets, or allowed to sleep with stuffed toys. These all pose a suffocation risk. Your child should sleep on a fairly firm surface, such as a crib mattress or bassinet mattress. If you use bumper pads in the crib, they should be thin and firm, and secured well to the crib. If you must use blankets, try to tuck them into the area between the mattress and crib rails so that the baby doesn't kick the blanket up over his face. A better choice is to keep your baby in very warm sleep sacks or footed pajamas when he is sleeping.

Stop smoking. Do not smoke while you are pregnant, and do not allow anyone to smoke inside your home while you are pregnant or after your baby is born. Smoking during pregnancy and around children has been shown to be a risk factor for SIDS, as well as illnesses such as ear infections, asthma, and bronchitis.

A few other things you can do are making sure the room is not too warm. Do not over-bundle your baby. Allow him to use a pacifier while sleeping. And most of all, make sure to take your child to his regular checkups to make sure there are no health complications.