The one thing all parents think about and worry about with their newborn baby is SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. SIDS is a sudden unexplained death of an infant under the age of one. Even after a complete autopsy, examination of the scene where the infant died and a reviewing the medical history of the infant, the death cannot be explained. The typical situation would be a parent would go and check on the baby while it slept only to find that the baby had passed away. A seemingly healthy happy baby has died. Maybe it is a lack of answers that makes SIDS so scary. It is the leading cause of death in infant ages one month to one year. SIDS claims about 2500 lives a year in the United States alone.



SIDS is not preventable. The parent can reduce the risk by placing the baby on their back to sleep. When the "Back to Sleep" campaign started in 1992 the SIDS incidences dropped 40%. Do not use a bumper pad, make sure the mattress is firm and no pillows or toys. Avoid using heavy blankets. Make sure the room temperature is comfortable for the baby to sleep in with just a light blanket. SIDS is not suffocation and it is not caused by vomiting and choking. SIDS is not caused by colds, infections or by the DPT immunization shot or any other immunizations. It is not contagious or caused by child abuse or neglect.

SIDS death happens quickly and usually during sleep. SIDS is not very common in the first month. The highest occurrences of SIDS happen to infant's ages 2 to 4 months and drops significantly after 6 months. Most cases of SIDS are reported in the fall and winter months and it happens to boys more than girls. Infants who are from an African-American and American-Indian decent have a higher risk of SIDS.

If you are a mother-to-be make sure you get prenatal care within the first three months of pregnancy and then get regular check ups at your doctor's office. You will need to make an effort to have good nutrition. Don't smoke or use recreational drugs. Take every precaution not to get pregnant as a teen. If you are a teen and have already had one baby, try not to have another until you are older. The SIDS rate is highest for the babies born to teenage mothers. The more babies the teenage mother has the higher the risk of SIDS for that infant. Try to wait a year between pregnancies. The shorter time between pregnancies the higher the risk.

For parents who already have a baby, don't expose them to tobacco smoke. Don't smoke in the house or car or allow your baby in a house or car that has tobacco smoke in it. Breast feeding decreases the occurrence of respiratory infections. Breast fed babies have a lower occurrence of SIDS. And use the tips above for putting your baby to bed. Make sure your baby has regular check ups.

Very recent studies have shown that babies who go to sleep with a pacifier have a lower risk of SIDS. While babies can be brought to bed for nursing make sure you put them back in their crib or bassinet. Keeping the crib or basinet in your bedroom has also been linked to a lower risk of SIDS.

There are maternal risk factors as well. If the mother is less that 20 years of age, there is a short interval between pregnancies, late or no prenatal care. If the mothers smoked during and after the pregnancy there is higher risk. Placental abnormalities, low weight gain, anemia, alcohol and substance abuse and a history of sexually transmitted diseases have been linked to a higher risk of SIDS.