You may feel that your baby is perfectly safe when asleep and this is the case if parents are aware of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and have taken steps to reduce the risk, which means working with all the child’s caregivers.
SIDS is the leading cause of death for infants between 1 month and 12 months of age and is most common among infants that are 2-4 months old. It is also more common in male babies and during the winter months. What is most disturbing is that no-one knows what causes SIDS but it is not caused by immunizations, vomiting or choking.
Around one in five sudden infant death syndrome deaths occur while a child is in the care of someone other than a parent. Many of these deaths occur when babies who are used to sleeping on their backs are then put to sleep on their tummies by another caregiver - some-times called “unaccustomed tummy sleeping”, which increases the risk of SIDS. Babies who sleep on their backs and are then put to sleep on their tummies are 6-9 times more likely to die from SIDS.
Place babies to sleep on their backs to reduce the risk of SIDS. Side sleeping is not as safe as back sleeping and is not advised. Babies sleep comfortably on their backs, and no special equipment is needed.
One effective precaution against SIDS is simply to talk to your baby’s caregivers about placing him/her on his back at night and during naps.
There are even precautions that can be taken before your baby is born to reduce the risk of SIDS. For example, don’t smoke or expose yourself to others’ smoke while you are pregnant and after the baby is born. Be sure to visit a physician for regular prenatal checkups to reduce your risk of having a low birth weight or premature baby. Breastfeed your baby, if possible, at least through the first year of life.
After the delivery, the safest place for your baby to sleep is in the room where you sleep. You can place the baby’s crib or bassinet near your bed (within an arm’s reach) to ease breastfeeding and to bond with your baby.
It is still important to allow your baby ‘tummy time’, when awake – just place him/her on the tummy while someone is watching, to allow babies to develop normally and to help build strong neck and shoulder muscles.
