SIDS Facts - Virginia SIDS Alliance

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome(SIDS)
Facts

What is SIDS?

SIDS stands for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. It is the diagnosis given for the sudden death of an infant under one year of age that remains unexplained after a complete investigation, which includes an autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the symptoms or illness the infant had prior to dying and any other pertinent medical and family history. Because many SIDS babies are found in their cribs, some people call SIDS "crib death" But cribs do not cause SIDS.

Facts About SIDS

We do not know what causes SIDS, but doctors do know:

SIDS is the leading cause of death in babies after 1 month of age to 1 year of age.
90 percent of SIDS deaths happen in babies under 6 months of age, with the highest number occurring between 2 and 4 months.
Babies placed to sleep on their stomachs are much more likely to die of SIDS than babies placed on their backs to sleep.
Babies are more likely to die of SIDS if they are placed to sleep on top of soft bedding or if they are covered with soft bedding.
African American Babies are 2 times more likely to die of SIDS than white babies and American Indian babies are almost 3 times more likely to die of SIDS than white babies.
In 2002, research showed that the U.S. infant mortality rate for SIDS is 7.0 of every 1,000 live births.

Lowering the Risk of SIDS

Although there is nothing that can be done to prevent SIDS from occurring, there are some things that can be done to make baby safer and reduce the risk of SIDS.

Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep, even for naps. This is the safest sleep position for a healthy baby to reduce the risk of SIDS.
Place you baby to sleep on a firm mattress in a safety approved crib. Research has shown that placing a baby to sleep on soft mattresses, sofas, sofa cushions, waterbeds, sheepskins, or other soft surfaces greatly increases the risk of SIDS.
Remove soft, fluffy, and loose bedding and stuffed toys from your babies sleep area. Make sure you keep all pillows, quilts, stuffed toys, and other soft items away from your baby’s sleep area.
Make sure that everyone who cares for your baby knows to place your baby on his or her back to sleep and about the dangers of soft bedding. Talk to childcare providers, grandparents, babysitters and anyone else that cares for your infant about SIDS risks. Babies who routinely sleep on their backs and are unaccustomed to sleeping on their stomachs are at an increased risk of SIDS when placed on their stomachs by a well intentioned but ill-informed caregiver or relative. Parents cannot assume that everyone knows about Back to Sleep and other ways to reduce the risk of SIDS.
Make sure your baby’s face and head stay uncovered during sleep. The best way to do this is to dress the baby in sleep clothing that will not require any additional coverings. If you do use a blanket or other covering, make sure that the infant cannot pull it up over his or her face.
Do not allow smoking around your baby. Don’t smoke before or after the birth of your baby and make sure that no one smokes around your baby.
Don’t let your baby get too warm during sleep. Keep your baby warm, but not too warm. Your baby’s room should be at a temperature that is comfortable for an adult. Too many layers of clothing or blankets can overheat your baby.
Do not allow the baby to sleep with an adult. In addition to the risks of bedding, there are risks associated with infants who sleep with parents whose instincts are impaired by exhaustion, drug or alcohol use, or who are smokers. There are also dangers connected with infants sharing a bed with brothers, sisters, or relatives other than the mother’s baby. Sofas and chairs are particularly dangerous places for shared sleep. Bed sharing has not been shown to be protective against SIDS, though studies suggest that room sharing may be protective. Keeping baby next to the adult bed in her own sleep space provides greater safety for the infant and proximity for parents seeking to facilitate breastfeeding and share closeness with their baby.