How to Stop Worrying about SIDS

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, is something all parents worry about. The common story of SIDS is a parent going to wake baby, and finding him in his bed already dead. In the past ten years, several research studies have provided valuable research on the best ways to reduce the risks of SIDS and to help parents to stop worrying about it.

Instructions

1. Understand what SIDS is. SIDS is classified as the death of an otherwise healthy infant under one year of age. SIDS occurs while the infant is sleeping. SIDS is both abrupt and inexplicable. Technically, by this definition, there is no way to prevent SIDS, but measures can be taken to lower the risk.

2. Follow the advice of pediatricians and experts regarding sleeping. Baby should always sleep on his back on a firm mattress. Pacifier use has recently been attributed to a lower risk of SIDS.

3. Get a monitor. Apnea/bradycardia monitors set off an alarm if baby stops breathing. These can decrease the chances of SIDS. However, these are not error-free, and do not eliminate the risk of SIDS. They can help parents stop worrying as much by providing an alert.

4. Make sure baby isn't around second-hand smoke which increases the chance of SIDS. Also, keep baby away from people who have colds and other viruses, as these respiratory problems also raise the risk of SIDS.

5. Know what makes an infant high risk. Infants who weighed less than 3.5 pounds at birth, those who have a sibling who died of SIDS and those exposed to drugs during pregnancy are at high risk for SIDS, as are those babies born to teenage mothers or who have had a life-threatening event are at high risk for SIDS.