In contrast, the increased risk of SIDS associated with excess thermal insulation and bed sharing was less in winter than in summer. Prone sleeping position accounts for about half of the difference between the mortality rate in summer and that in winter.
In cold weather, parents and caregivers often place extra blankets or clothes on infants to keep them warm; however, over-bundling may cause overheating, which elevates an infant's risk for SIDS. Infants are sensitive to extreme temperatures and cannot regulate their body temperatures well.
Some babies are more at risk than others. For example, SIDS is more likely to affect a baby who is between 1 and 4 months old, it is more common in boys than girls, and most deaths occur during the fall, winter and early spring months.
Research has shown that SIDS is less common in the summer. However, during the summer, babies are usually dressed in light clothes and are allowed to sweat. Sweating is a good way to keep cool. In the winter, parents may turn up the room heat and dress their babies warmly.
Studies have shown that the increased SIDS risk associated with colder temperatures in the winter can be explained by excessive clothing and overwrapping of infants.
SIDS is most common at 2-4 months of age when the cardiorespiratory system of all infants is in rapid transition and therefore unstable. So, all infants in this age range are at risk for dysfunction of neurological control of breathing.
The peak incidence of SIDS occurs between 1 – 4 months of age; 90% of cases occur before 6 months of age. Babies continue to be at risk for SIDS up to 12 months.
Overheating may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in babies one month to one year of age. Many experts recommend that the temperature in the room where a baby's sleeps be kept between 68–72°F (20–22.2°C).
It is important to make sure that your baby is a comfortable temperature – not too hot or too cold. The chance of SIDS is higher in babies who get too hot. A room temperature of 16-20°C – with light bedding or a lightweight, well-fitting baby sleep bag– is comfortable and safe for sleeping babies.
What are the symptoms? SIDS has no symptoms or warning signs. Babies who die of SIDS seem healthy before being put to bed. They show no signs of struggle and are often found in the same position as when they were placed in the bed.
The rate of SIDS deaths per 100,000 live births has declined in Australia since the beginning of national public education campaigns about risk factors associated with SIDS in 1991 (AIHW 2012). Between 2007 and 2017 the rate declined from 28 per 100,000 to 6 in 2017, following a peak in 2009 of 32 per 100,000.
Most deaths happen during the first 6 months of a baby's life. Infants born prematurely or with a low birthweight are at greater risk.
Sleep position:
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.
SIDS is less common after 8 months of age, but parents and caregivers should continue to follow safe sleep practices to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death until baby's first birthday. More than 90% of all SIDS deaths occur before 6 months of age.
SIDS is primarily caused by a lack of air ventilation and air circulation. A room that's too hot and stuffy can also be a likely culprit for SIDS. Therefore, turning on a fan in your bub's room is an effective way to help regulate a room's temperature and provide vital air circulation and ventilation.
Babies are sensitive little creatures. So much so that any changes in room temperature can make them fussy. That's why, according to The Sleep Store Australia, your baby's room shouldn't be either too hot or too cold. It should be somewhere between 18 to 22 degrees Celsius.
What Is the Ideal Temperature for a Sleeping Baby? Some studies have found that a room temperature between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. View Source may be comfortable for babies. Other recommendations range between 61 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit .
Dr. Hauck: We don't know for sure why room-sharing without bed-sharing is protective, but we have some theories. One is that the babies are sleeping more lightly because there is more movement around them (so they cannot get into as deep a sleep, which can contribute to the final pathway in SIDS).
Takeaways. Babies do best in a cool room (68–72˚F). A cooler environment helps prevent SIDS. Your baby's skin on the chest and stomach should feel warm and dry.
White noise reduces the risk of SIDS.
We DO know that white noise reduces active sleep (which is the sleep state where SIDS is most likely to occur).
"Once a baby can roll over by themselves, their brain is mature enough to alert them to breathing dangers," says Dr. Moon. "And by the time they are 6 months old, their improved motor skills will help them to rescue themselves, so the SIDS risk is greatly reduced."
Infants at the age when SIDS occurs quite frequently spend most of their sleep in a stage known as rapid eye movement or REM sleep. This sleep stage is characterized by the dysregulation of various mechanosensory airway and chemosensory autonomous reflexes that are critical for survival (18, 19).