How to Prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

While older children can sleep comfortably and safely in a variety of positions, infants can not. Carefully placing a sleeping infant on his or her back is an important safety measure.

Infants who sleep on their backs at home and on either their sides or stomachs while in child care are at a greater risk of SIDS. In order to guarantee the safest possible environment for infants whether at home or with a childcare provider, be sure to follow the steps below.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. You can reduce the risk of SIDS by placing babies on their backs to sleep unless instructed by a physician. Babies should be placed on their backs with their feet touching the bottom of the crib. Lightly place a blanket over the baby so that it goes no higher than his or her chest. To ensure safety, it helps to tuck in the blanket on the sides of the crib.

2. Remove from the crib all fluffy, loose bedding, such as decorative quilts, pillows, or stuffed toys. It's always a good idea to talk to your pediatrician about what items are safe to include in your baby's crib.

3. Check regularly to insure each baby's face is uncovered during sleep.

4. Insure that babies do not get too warm during sleep. Adjust clothing and blankets as required to reduce overheating. It's helpful to lightly wrap your child but keep an eye out to see whether your child feels hot or is sweaty. Avoid over bundling your child.

5. Give babies plenty of 'tummy time' when awake to insure healthy development. Placing your baby on his or her stomach promotes healthy motor development. 'Tummy time' ensures that your baby's shoulders, neck and upper body get stronger.

Tips & Warnings

• Baby's preferences for sleep position are learned from birth to around 4 - 6 months of age. Therefore, consistently placing infants on their backs to sleep actually helps them learn to be comfortable in this safe position.
• Since 1992 the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended that all healthy infants be placed to sleep on their backs. Years of research determined that babies had a greater chance of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) when they were placed to sleep on their stomachs. Since enacting and publicizing this recommendation, incidence of infants placed to sleep on their backs has dramatically increased and, at the same time, the death rate from SIDS has decreased by 50 percent.
• Infants who sleep on their backs at home and on either their sides or stomachs while in child care are at a greater risk of SIDS. Therefore, it is especially important that caregivers place babies to sleep on their backs.
• There is no evidence that healthy babies placed on their backs to sleep are more likely to have serious or fatal choking episodes than those placed on their stomachs. In fact, of the very small number of infant deaths due to choking, most of the infants were sleeping on their stomachs.

Resources

• KinderCare - Unique programs—for learning success from A to Z.