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Preventing SIDS? Reduce the risk!

Sadly, preventing SIDS is not possible today. There is no cure or vaccine to prevent cot death.

But you can reduce the risk as much as possible by following a few simple rules, especially during the first 6-12 months. Follow the guidelines as much for naps as for night time sleep.

4 simple gestures to protect your baby

No smoking ...

Baby sleeps on her back

Baby must never get too hot

Baby sleeps in a safe crib, under close supervision
or co-sleeps safely

These are the simplest and most effective ways to protect your child. They are the best chance we have for preventing SIDS.

See below for details and further guidelines, and practical tips.

How do we know these guidelines help? In the late 80s-early 90s, many governments launched Back to Sleep campaigns to recommend these precautions, and the sleeping on the back position in particular.

SIDS rates reduced dramatically in the following years so the guidelines remain recommended worldwide.^[2]

Full guidelines and tips to make them work

No smoking

There is a dramatic relationship between smoking and SIDS.

Do not smoke during pregnancy and do not let anyone smoke near your baby or in any room where your baby stays.

Baby sleeps on her back

The safest baby sleeping position is lying on the back.

Always put your baby on her back when you put her to sleep, nap time and night time.

Baby must never get too hot

To prevent overheating: keep the room temperature between 16°C and 20°C. During hot summer nights: compensate with extra light clothing and cover.

Choose light clothing and covers: a light sleeping bag is ideal. It helps keep your baby on her back, she will not get uncovered and cold and cannot get trapped under it.

If you use a blanket, tuck it in tight and position your baby with feet to the bed foot-end so she cannot slide under the cover.

Baby sleeps in a safe crib, under close supervision

Crib safety is a very important step towards preventing SIDS. Baby Sleeping on back in white shirt

Ideally during the first months, keep your baby in the room with you. Your presence by itself is proven to protect your baby.

Many parents find that their movement easily wakes up their baby from about 4 to 6 months.

When that happens, and you feel confident about your baby's development, you can have baby sleep in another room. Continue to check frequently on her.

... or co-sleeps safely

Co-sleeping is still disadvised officially by many institutions, although given studies state that in certain circumstances, co-sleeping can offer protection from SIDS.^[3]

According to latest research, safe co-sleeping does not increase the risk.

However, when either parent smokes, drinks alcohol, takes medication or is extremeley tired, co-sleeping is not safe and is an increased risk factor.^[4]

Also if your baby is premature or light-weight you'd rather avoid bed sharing.

A bedside co-sleeper (a cot attached to your bedside) can be a good alternative.

SIDS has also occurred when babies were sleeping on the couch or sofa with their parents.

Using a dummy

Using a pacifier or dummy has been shown to reduce SIDS risk.

Since dummy-use may interfere with breastfeeding (another protector from SIDS) it is best to wait until breastfeeding is well established before offering a dummy to your baby.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding your baby offers protection from cot death.

Don't force sleep

Never try to make your baby sleep longer or better by over-feeding or with medication.

She may go into too deep sleep and be at risk of cot death.

In all, please do not stress too much after reading these pages.

When you just keep the guidelines in mind, be extra careful when your baby is at a higher risk, then also have confidence in your and your baby's instincts.

[1] International trends in sudden infant death syndrome Hauck RF, Tanabe KO. 2008. Pediatrics 122(3): 660-666.
[2] Factfile 2. Research background to the Reduce the Risk of Cot Death advice by the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths Available from http://fsid.org.uk/Page.aspx?pid=386 (opens in new window).
[3] Parent-infant cosleeping: the appropriate context for the study of infant sleep and implications for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) research Sarah Mosko, James Mckenna, Lynn Hunt 2004 Journal of Behavioral Medicine 16 (6): 589–610.
[4] Hazardous cosleeping environments and risk factors amenable to change: case-control study of SIDS in South West England. SPeter S. Blair and co.a British Medical JournalBMJ 2009;339:b3666. http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/339/oct13_1/b3666 (opens in new window)

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