Safe Sleeping / SIDS
Babies sleep a lot, especially during the first year of life. Unfortunately, they don’t always sleep when you want them to.
It may take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months for your baby to sleep through the night. But just as you can’t predict when your baby will make its first smile or take its first step, you can’t predict when your baby will first sleep through the night. All you can do is be patient and get as much rest when you can so that you are ready to care for your baby no matter what time it is.
Although it may be easier for you to sleep with the baby in your bed rather than having to get up multiple times during the night, there are many risks associated with co-sleeping.
SIDS
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is the sudden death of an infant under one year of age and is also known as crib death. SIDS occurs when a baby appears healthy, but for no apparent reason, dies during sleep.
SIDS is the leading cause of unexpected death in infants one month to one year old.
Although the cause of SIDS is unknown, there are things that parents, grandparents and babysitters should do to help lower the risk of SIDS.
Here are a few tips on how you can help lower the risk of SIDS:
- Make sure your baby sleeps face up. Babies who sleep on their backs have lower risk of SIDS.
- Place infants in a baby bed with a firm mattress, and do not put any covers, pillows, or toys in the bed with the baby.
- Bed sharing is not recommended. Your baby should sleep alone in its crib.
- Dress the baby in light clothing and in a room at a comfortable temperature.
- Keep your baby away from tobacco smoke. Babies exposed to tobacco smoke have a higher risk of SIDS.
- Breastfeed your baby whenever possible. Breastfed babies have lower SIDS rates than formula-fed babies do.
- Keep your baby away from large crowds and people with illnesses to ensure that your baby stays as healthy as possible.
- Wait at least one year between the birth of a child and your next pregnancy. The shorter the time between pregnancies, the higher the SIDS rate.
Babies at a higher risk of SIDS:
- Babies born weighing less than 3.5 pounds
- Babies exposed to drugs during pregnancy
- Babies that had a sibling die of SIDS
To learn more about SIDS, call 1-800-221-7437.
Source: The American SIDS Institute
