Reduce The Risk Of SIDS – Place Babies On Their Backs To ...

Too often we hear about a tragic loss where an dies for no apparent reasons. Most often this is attributed to SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. To reduce the risk always place babies on their backs to sleep.

SIDS is the sudden and unexplainable death of a baby under the age of one. Most SID babies are found in their cribs so often you will hear these deaths referred to as crib death, even though the crib has nothing to do with the infant’s death.

Even today research has been unable to discover what exactly causes SIDS. Sadly it is the leading cause of death in infants under one month of age. Most SIDS deaths occur from 2 to 4 months of age and they tend to occur more often during the colder months.

Studies have shown that babies placed on their stomachs to sleep are much more likely to die of SIDS than babies that sleep on their back. Studies have also shown that African American babies are two times as likely to die of SIDS and American Indian babies are three times as likely to die of SIDS.

Even though the medical community has been unable to figure out what causes SIDS, there is a general concensus that the best way to reduce the risk to your baby is to have them sleep on their back, even for naps.

This is very new advice. It was only a few years ago mothers were instructed to place their babies on their tummy to sleep. This change in sleeping advices has reduced the average yearly deaths from 5000 to 3000. There’s still more work to do but it’s a start.

Make sure your baby sleeps on its back always. Whether at home, at nap time, at the grandparents, at an aunt or uncles, with a friend, or with a sitter. Make sure everyone understands and knows that your baby is to sleep on its back.

Mom’s tend to have some concerns about their baby choking on their back from spit or vomit while sleeping. Doctors have not found any increased risk because babies naturally swallow the fluid.

A baby sleeping on its side is at less risk than a baby sleeping on its stomach. The problem is babies roll over from their side to their tummy putting them at increased risk. If you choose to lay your baby on its side make sure the lower arm is in front to help stop rolling onto the stomach. You should also check very frequently to make sure your baby hasn’t rolled onto the stomach.

There are products on the market that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS however to date there is not stats to prove that any of these products actually work.

Some babies with health problems will have to sleep on the stomach. A baby born with defects that will not allow the baby to sleep on their back, you should consult your physician.

Your baby can be on the stomach for tummy time. This is a period of time when baby is awake and the stretching and movements are good exercise for your baby.

Babies heads are very soft so don’t be alarmed if you see a flat spot on your babies head after they’ve been sleeping on their back. This will go away as the baby gets a little older and learns to sit up. Tummy time can also help reduce the flat spot.

Here are some important things to do to reduce the risk of SIDS.

Keep baby cool while sleeping. Don’t let baby overheat. Don’t overbundle

Don’t allow smoking in your home

Keep babies head and face uncovered while sleeping. Keep mouth and nose clear of any obstructions. Make sure blankets do not reach beyond babies chest.

Remove all stuffed animals, fluffy bedding, pillows, or other loose bedding from the crib when baby sleeps

Use a firm mattress and never place baby on soft sofas or cushions to sleep

Always make sure your baby is sleeping on their back

SIDS is unpredictable and with unknown factors not completely preventable, however following the guidelines above will help reduce the risks of SIDS.

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