No parent wants to face the thought of their infant suddenly dying in the middle of the might or in the middle of taking a nap. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a major concern for parents. Each year approximately 2,500 deaths in the United States are attributed to SIDS. No one fully understands the medical cause of SIDS but since 1983 the number of infant deaths associated with SIDS has decreased by more than 50 percent thanks in part to the American SIDS Institute “Back to Sleep” campaign.
Besides letting your baby only sleep on her back, there are number of other things you can do to prevent SIDS from affecting your family. Some of these tips include:
1. Do not use soft bedding in your baby’s sleep area. Your baby should only be allowed to sleep on a firm mattress with sheets that are tight fitting. Do not put anything else in your baby’s crib besides the infant. No pillows, stuffed animals, blankets, covers, toys, or positional devices.
2. Do not let your infant sleep in an adult bed. While the infant should sleep in the parents’ room until 6 months of age, the infant should sleep in a separate crib. Adult beds are too soft and are not safe for infants. Your baby should also not sleep on a waterbed, air mattress, bean bag, pillow, couch, quilt, or soft mattress. A firm mattress is best.
3. Keep your baby away from cigarette smoke. The risk of SIDS increases along with the babies exposure to smoke. Don’t allow friends or family members to smoke around your baby and avoid taking your baby to public places where other people might be smoking.
4. Don’t put too many clothes on your baby. You may be tempted to wrap your baby in all kinds of layers because she can’t have any covers in her crib but being too warm can increase the risk for SIDS. Keep the baby’s room at a temperature between 68 and 72 degrees. Your baby should not be sweating or feel hot when touched.
5. Purchase a new crib for your infant. Avoid using a hand-me-down crib or purchasing a used crib from a garage sale. You don’t know if that used crib was recently involved in a safety recall. There are plenty of safe cribs available you can purchase new that are relatively inexpensive.
