Parents who know about SIDS may think of it as their worst nightmare. Sudden infant death syndrome is known as SIDS or crib death. It’s when a baby 12 months or younger dies during sleep with no warning signs or a clear reason. Although there is no 100% way to prevent SIDS, there is a lot you can do lower your baby’s risk. Since the American Academy of Pediatrics issued its safe sleep recommendations in 1992 and launched its "Back to Sleep" campaign in 1994, the SIDS rate has dropped more than 60%. In fact, between 1990 and 2013, SIDS rates declined from about 130 deaths per 100,000 infants to about 40 deaths per 100,000. Your baby’s risk of SIDS is much higher any time he sleeps on his side or stomach. (A baby placed on his side can roll over on his stomach.) These positions put your baby’s face in the mattress or sleeping area, which can smother him. So, every time you put your baby in his bed to sleep -- for naps, at night, or any time -- lay him down on his back.
Tell anyone who takes care of your baby how essential it is to lay your sleeping baby on his back each time. That includes grandparents, babysitters and childcare providers, older siblings, and others. They may think one time won’t matter, but it can. When a baby who usually sleeps on his back is suddenly laid on his stomach to sleep, the risk of SIDS is much higher. If you’re worried your baby might choke while sleeping on his back, don't be. Choking is very rare, and healthy babies tend to swallow or cough up fluids automatically. If you’re concerned, ask your pediatrician about elevating the head of your baby's bed. Once your baby can roll over both ways, which usually happens around 6 months, he may not stay on his back. It’s fine to let him choose his own sleep position once he knows how to roll over.BabiesHealthSIDSNew Ways to Reduce the Risk of SIDSNew Ways to Reduce the Risk of SIDS It's not enough to simply put your baby to sleep on her back. There are other lifesaving safety steps you may be missing.
Find out in this exclusive Parents report. Facebook Pinterest Twitter Google Plus Text EmailComments Add a commentGet Consumer Updates by E-mail Consumer Updates RSS Feed Print & Share (PDF 672 K) The best thing you can do to lower the chance of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is to place your baby on his or her back to sleep, with nothing else in the crib or bassinet. That’s the recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is working to prevent manufacturers of over-the-counter sleep products for babies from claiming that their use will prevent or lower the chance of SIDS. These products include infant positioners, mattresses, crib bedding, pillows, crib tents and baby monitors. Baby products that claim to cure, treat or prevent any condition are considered medical devices, and are subject to FDA regulations designed to protect consumers and patients. The agency has never approved a product to prevent SIDS—the unexplained death of a baby younger than age 1—and is asking manufacturers to stop marketing their products with these claims until they have received FDA clearance or approval, or to change their labeling to remove all medical claims.
“These products are absolutely not necessary and they can be very dangerous,” says Susan Cummins, M.D., M.P.H., chief pediatric medical officer in FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. FDA is aware of 13 infant deaths in the past 13 years associated with sleep positioners, which are used to keep the baby in a desired position. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has received reports of babies found in hazardous positions after being placed in a positioner. Other products can also be hazardous. Babies can slide down and be trapped by wedges designed to keep them on their back, says Cummins. Blankets, quilts, soft toys and pillow-like crib bedding can smother, she adds. It’s a matter of A-B-C, says Cummins: Cummins describes the ideal sleep environment for an infant as being free of anything that could block the infant’s movement or breathing. All that’s needed is a firm crib mattress and a tight-fitting sheet. To parents who have visions of a crib filled with comforts, she says, “Though a crib full of plush toys and soft bedding may look appealing to you, it is hazardous for your baby during his or her first year of life.”
“Your baby will develop faster in that first year than any time after. Newborns can't even hold up their head, yet by their first birthday they are walking or nearly so,” says Cummins. “In between, your baby will learn to roll, sit, turn, crawl and even may start to climb!” “So in that first year, your baby constantly and rapidly develops new skills, even in the crib during sleep time,” she says. “Make your baby’s crib a safe place to sleep and move, with nothing to get in the way.” FDA is starting a new website on SIDS prevention claims for parents, caregivers and manufacturers of sleep products for babies. Its purpose is to: The site also offers advice to parents on reducing the risk of SIDS and a list of “baby safe sleep” resources. “The sleep environment is the one place where the baby is alone, so we want to make sure it’s safe,” says Cummins. And in this case, she says, less is more. This article appears on FDA's Consumer Updates page, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.
Baby Products with SIDS Prevention Claims Back to Sleep Public Education Campaign A Parent’s Guide to Safe Sleep Infant Sleep Positioners Pose Suffocation Risk FDA Expands Caution About SimplyThick Reduce the Risk of SIDS & Suffocation About 3,500 babies die each year in the United States during sleep because of unsafe sleep environments. Some of these deaths are caused by entrapment, suffocation, or strangulation. Some infants die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). However, there are ways for parents to keep their sleeping baby safe. Read on for more information from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on how parents can create a safe sleep environment for their babies. This information should also be shared with anyone who cares for babies, including grandparents, family, friends, babysitters, and child care center staff. Note: These recommendations are for healthy babies up to 1 year of age. A very small number of babies with certain medical conditions may need to be placed to sleep on their stomach.
Your baby's doctor can tell you what is best for your baby. What You Can Do: Place your baby to sleep on his back for every sleep. Babies up to 1 year of age should always be placed on their back to sleep during naps and at night. However, if your baby has rolled from his back to his side or stomach on his own, he can be left in that position if he is already able to roll from tummy to back and back to tummy. If your baby falls asleep in a car seat, stroller, swing, infant carrier, or infant sling, he should be moved to a firm sleep surface as soon as possible. Swaddling (wrapping a light blanket snuggly around a baby) may help calm a crying baby. If you swaddle your baby, be sure to place him on his back to sleep. Stop swaddling your baby when he starts to roll. Place your baby to sleep on a firm sleep surface. crib, bassinet, portable crib, or play yard should meet current safety standards. Check to make sure the product has not been recalled. Do not use a crib that is broken or missing parts or that has drop-side rails.
For more information about crib safety standards, visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site.Cover the mattress with a tight-fitting sheet. Do not put blankets or pillows between the mattress and fitted sheet. Never put your baby to sleep on a water bed, a cushion, or a sheepskin. Keep soft objects, loose bedding, or any objects that could increase the risk of entrapment, suffocation, or strangulation out of the crib. Pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, bumper pads, and stuffed toys can cause your baby to suffocate. Note: Research has not shown us when it's 100% safe to have these objects in the crib; however, most experts agree that these objects pose little risk to healthy babies after 12 months of age. Place your baby to sleep in the same room where you sleep but not the same bed. Do this for at least 6 months, but preferably up to 1 year of age. Room-sharing decreases the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%.Keep the crib or bassinet within an arm's reach of your bed.
You can easily watch or breastfeed your baby by having your baby nearby. The AAP cannot make a recommendation for or against the use of bedside sleepers or in-bed sleepers until more studies are done.Babies who sleep in the same bed as their parents are at risk of SIDS, suffocation, or strangulation. Parents can roll onto babies during sleep, or babies can get tangled in the sheets or blankets. Breastfeed as much and for as long as you can. This helps reduce the risk of SIDS. breastfeeding as the sole source of nutrition for your baby for about 6 months. When you add solid foods to your baby's diet, continue breastfeeding until at least 12 months. You can continue to breastfeed after 12 months if you and your baby desire. Schedule and go to allYour baby will receive important immunizations. Recent evidence suggests that immunizations may have a protective effect against SIDS. Keep your baby away from smokers and places where people smoke. If you smoke, try to quit. However, until you can quit,
keep your car and home smoke-free. Don't smoke inside your home or car, and don't smoke anywhere near your baby, even if you are outside. Do not let your baby get too hot. Keep the room where your baby sleeps at a comfortable temperature. dress your baby in no more than one extra layer than you would wear. Your baby may be too hot if she is sweating or if her chest feels hot. If you are worried that your baby is cold, use a wearable blanket, such as a sleeping sack, or warm sleeper that is the right size for your baby. These are made to cover the body and not the head. Offer a pacifier at nap time and bedtime. This helps reduce the risk of SIDS. If you are breastfeeding, wait until breastfeeding is going well beforeThis usually takes 3 to 4 weeks. If you are not breastfeeding, you can start a pacifier as soon as you like.It's OK if your baby doesn't want to use a pacifier. You can try offering a pacifier again, but some babies don't like to use pacifiers. If the pacifier falls out after your baby falls asleep, you don't have to put it back in.
Do not use pacifiers that attach to infant clothing.Do not use pacifiers that are attached to objects, such as stuffed toys and other items that may be a suffocation or choking risk. Do not use home cardiorespiratory monitors to help reduce the risk of SIDS. Home cardiorespiratory monitors can be helpful for babies with breathing or heart problems, but they have not been found to reduce the risk of SIDS. Use caution when buying products that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS. Wedges, positioners, special mattresses and specialized sleep surfaces have not been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS, according to the AAP.What Expectant Moms Can Do:Schedule and go to all prenatal doctor visits. alcohol, or use drugs while pregnant or after the birth of your newborn. Stay away from smokers and places where people smoke.Hold your newborn skin to skin while breastfeeding. If you can breastfeed, do this as soon as you can after birth. Skin-to-skin contact is also beneficial for bottle-fed newborns.