Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS): Do You Know What To Do?

November 10, 2008 by

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Important Facts In Reducing The Risk Of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome SIDS

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of infant deaths in about 50 of every 100,000 births in the United States.
Normally, this happens when a baby is put in their cribs to sleep and is found dead later. Even though no one really knows what causes SIDS there are some things you can consider that are a risk factor. Some risk could be baby being exposed to tobacco smoke, born prematurely, laying baby on their stomach when sleeping, and excess bedding or stuffed animals in their crib.

SIDS is a frightening word to parents of newborns. There is so little concrete unexplained knowledge about SIDS, as every case is different. However, there are a number of things you can do to help reduce the chances of your infant dying of SIDS. Here are some of the ways you can reduce the risk factors of SIDS.

One of the first things you can do to help prevent SIDS is good prenatal care. A low birth weight can often contribute to SIDS. So mothers who are careful about their prenatal care and nutrition can have a healthier baby. Avoiding smoking, drugs and alcohol while pregnant also reduces the risk of SIDS. It has also been shown that having two babies in one year can raise the risk of SIDS for the second infant. Teen mothers have a higher risk of their infant dying of SIDS.
Real important that some parents do not think about is sleeping with their baby. The problem is parents could smother their babies while they are sleeping.
Choose a crib with a firm surface. Having the right bedding for the crib is crucial to reducing the risk of SIDS. Putting the baby to sleep on the backs, and using a firm mattress with a tight fitting sheet, is the first step. Despite everyone loving those cute comforter and bumper pad sets, they are best left out of the crib. The bumper pad reduces the amount of fresh air circulating around the baby. Both sleeping on the stomach and the comforter being too close to the face can cause the baby to breathe back in too much carbon dioxide, which is a significant factor in SIDS.
On cold nights instead of a blanket use sleepers or baby sacks. However, if the infant is too warm, that can also contribute to SIDS. It is important to find the proper balance.
Use a pacifier, some studies have shown that pacifiers help reduce the occurrence of SIDS. Another study noted that using a pacifier could reduce the risk of SIDS by 90%. The pacifier helps keep the air passage open. It also helps keep securely items away from the infant’s mouth and nose. This can help prevent suffocation.
DO NOT SMOKE AROUND YOUR BABY THEY NEED OXYGEN. Even though you would think that’s common since it’s done often. Avoiding second-hand smoke also reduces the risk of SIDS. Studies by the Surgeon General have shown that, “Infants who die from SIDS tend to have higher concentration of nicotine in their lungs and higher levels of codeine (a biological marker for second-hand smoke exposure) than infants who die from other causes.”
One last thing that helps reduce the risk of SIDS is breastfeeding, although some experts do not feel it is the breastfeeding itself that reduces the risk of SIDS. However, there are fewer breastfed babies than formula babies who have died of SIDS. Breastfed baby’s tend to have a lower rate of respiratory breathing problems and gastrointestinal infections, both of which can contribute to SIDS.

Even though there’s no guarantees or definable cause of SIDS anything you can do to reduce the risks is worth it. Don’t be a victim and don’t wake up one morning and go in to wake your baby and fine yourself coping with a nightmare. Use your common sense as well as your good health habits. Make the necessary changes to prevent a possible life of heartache.

For more information and other resources on SIDS visit

American SIDS Institute

AASPP (American Association of SIDS Prevention Physicians)

ASIP (Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Professionals)

CJ Foundation for SIDS

National SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center

If you know of any other ways to help prevent the risk of SIDS please let us know below in our comment section.

Share and Enjoy:

Related Posts

Baby's Sleep Schedule: Tip's For Mom There Are Ways You Can Help Your Baby And Yourself Get The Sleep You Both Need There is a lot of changes for your family when you bring your baby home. My daughter had her baby five weeks ago and the biggest change she has is in sleep, or rather......
Pregnancy Nutrition: Essential Nutrients for You and Your Baby Pregnancy Nutrition: Essential Nutrients for You and Your Baby The key to pregnancy nutrition is a balanced diet, the foods you eat should be packed with these nutrients. When you are pregnant, it is very important in your health care for you to take care of yourself not only for......
Preconception & Family Planning Preconception & Family Planning Welcome to Pregnant Times Preconception & Family Planning Bookshelf. You will fine below a selection of items that we recommend. ____________________________ The Fertility Journal: A Day-to-Day Guide to Getting Pregnant by Kim Hahn, Editors of Conceive Magazine, and Jeffrey Sher (Diary - Mar 19, 2008) The......
Pregnancy Exercise The Benefits OF Regular Exercise While Your Are Pregnant Pregnancy exercise during pregnancy can help you stay in shape and prepare you for all the upcoming pregnancy stages. When you find out that you are pregnant it seems like a perfect time to sit back and relax and not......
Spotting While Pregnant Spotting during pregnancy: What causes it and what do you do One of the first things you may think when you notice that you are spotting while you are pregnant is if something is wrong. A lot of questions may pop up in your mind and you may start......

Related Websites

Studies Show That Coffee and Exercise Help Fight Prostate Cancer According to the American Cancer Association statistics show that 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime and 1 in 35 men will die from it. It is second only to lung cancer for cancer death rates in men. Long term survival with the......
Most Important Healthy Baby Tips There are some risks that you may face during your pregnancy as an expectant mother, and therefore it is important for you to be aware of these avoidable risks and the healthy baby tips that you can employ in order to keep yourself and your baby out of harm's way.......
Postpartum Survival Strategies: Help for New Dads We know that many new moms become depressed in the weeks and months after the arrival of their babies, or experience the so-called "baby blues." Growing evidence is mounting that points to the fact that new dads also experience a similar type of postpartum depression and feel a sense of......
Pregnancy Fetal Development at Week 1 Although it may seem strange to think about, the journey of your pregnancy actually begins before the baby has actually been conceived. The very first week of your pregnancy does not begin with conception, or with the growth of the fetus in your body, but rather it begins with the......
Best Safe Baby Pregnancy Tips If you have recently discovered that you're pregnant, or if you are thinking about beginning a family of your own, then you are probably beginning to wonder what you can do in order to make sure that you have the healthiest possible pregnancy, and the following safe baby pregnancy tips......