Sleep position: Babies placed to sleep on their stomachs or sides are at higher risk for SIDS. Babies who are used to sleeping on their backs but who are placed on their stomachs or sides for sleep, like for a nap, are at very high risk of SIDS.
The biggest single risk factor for SIDS is stomach sleeping. Numerous studies show babies placed on their stomachs have a higher rate of SIDS than babies who sleep on their backs. Some researchers think that stomach sleeping puts pressure on a child's jaw, narrowing the airway and making breathing more difficult.
Causes
As the name implies, there are three considerations that together indicate a high risk of SIDS: a vulnerable infant, a critical developmental period, and an external stressor.
But certain things can increase the risk of SIDS, like exposing a baby to cigarette smoke or sleeping with them on a sofa or chair. Babies born early (before 37 weeks) or with a low birth weight (less than 2.5kg or 5.5lb) are more at risk of SIDS. So twins and multiples are more at risk of SIDS.
Place babies on their backs to sleep for naps and at night.
It is not safe to place babies on their sides or stomachs to sleep, not even for a nap. The safest sleep position is on the back. Babies who sleep on their backs are at lower risk for SIDS than babies who sleep on their stomachs or sides.
Results Fan use during sleep was associated with a 72% reduction in SIDS risk (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.10-0.77). The reduction in SIDS risk seemed more pronounced in adverse sleep environments.
Some data suggest that room sharing reduces the risk of SIDS by as much as 50% compared with sharing an adult bed with baby or sleeping in a separate room from baby.
Tummy Time for a Healthy Baby. Babies need tummy time! Although it does not directly reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), tummy time is an important way to help baby grow and develop.
Some of the leading causes of infant death in the United States include the following: birth defects; prematurity/low birthweight; sudden infant death syndrome; maternal complications of pregnancy and respiratory distress syndrome.
According to Hauck, this most recent study is unique in that it is the first to determine the duration necessary to provide that protection. “We found that breastfeeding for at least two months reduces the risk of SIDS by almost half, and the longer babies are breastfed, the greater the protection,” says Hauck.
Pacifiers may help reduce the risk of SIDS because sucking on a pacifier can bring baby's tongue forward, opening the airway a bit. In other cases, a pacifier doesn't allow a baby to sleep as deeply, reducing the risk the baby stops breathing.
SIDS has no symptoms or warning signs. Babies don't seem to suffer or struggle. They don't cry.
Risk factors for SIDS include:
Globally, infectious diseases, including pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria, remain a leading cause of under-five deaths, along with preterm birth and intrapartum-related complications. The global under-five mortality rate declined by 61 per cent, from 94 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 37 in 2023.
Health care providers should encourage parents to do the following to reduce the risk of SIDS: Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep—for naps and at night. The back sleep position is the safest, and every sleep time counts.
Another sleep training method is the 5-3-3 method, or 5-3-3 rule. This technique involves setting a specific sleep schedule where a baby is asleep for five hours, awake for three hours, and then asleep for an additional three hours.
Babies at Risk
Baby's age Increased vulnerability to SIDS when they are 1 to 6 months old with the peak time during 2-3 months of age.
This includes babies who are under 4 months, were born premature or small for their gestational age, are unwell or who have been exposed to smoke, vapour or sedating medicines. If these babies are having breathing difficulties, it's hard for them to move their head or face so they can breathe easily.
A study published in the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine investigated the influence of air circulation on the incidence of SIDS. The results show that the risk of sudden infant death syndrome can be reduced by up to 72% in rooms with a fan switched on.
One of the most effective and easiest ways to reduce the risk of SIDS is to place your baby on his or her back to sleep for naps and at night. In the early 1990s, when infant stomach sleeping was more common, almost 5,000 babies died of SIDS each year.
While it has frequently been stated that co-sleeping carries a higher risk of SIDS, bedsharing clearly has some protective effects in the absence of hazardous circumstances. In the association between breastfeeding and sleep-related death, the role of bedsharing in the presence of hazards is complex.
They recommend that parents hold crying infants and walk with them for 5 min, followed by sitting and holding infants for another 5-8 min before putting them to bed.
Running a fan all night can trigger allergies, cause stiffness, dry out your eyes, or leave you feeling congested by morning. Cooling mattress pads and temperature-control bed systems offer a more effective way to stay cool and comfortable through the night.
Baby should also, always be placed on his or her back. Other things that a parent can do to prevent SIDS is keeping the room temperature between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and running a ceiling fan that keeps air flowing.