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Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is every parents worst night mare .
22nd May 2015
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is every parents worst night mare . The list below is a summary of the lastest evidence on what you as parents can do to prevent SIDS
· Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains the leading cause of death between 1 month and 1 year of age
· Placing infants in the prone position (on their stomach) to sleep and exposure to maternal smoking are major risk factors for SIDS
· Infants born preterm are at four times the risk compared with infants born at term
· The safest place for infants to sleep is in the parental bedroom in their own cot and in close proximity to parents to allow for feeding and comforting; sleeping on a sofa or couch with an infant is extremely dangerous
· Bed sharing with infants is a risk factor for SIDS--infants are at highest risk if younger than 3 months or if the parents smoke, use illicit drugs, or consume alcohol
· Breast feeding decreases the risk of SIDS and therefore mothers should be encouraged to breast feed for this reason and other health benefits