Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a leading cause of death among infants between one month and one year of age. When it occurs, SIDS usually happens during sleep, when an infant is not breathing or breathing abnormally. It’s the sudden unexpected death of an apparently healthy baby. The exact cause of SIDS is unknown but researchers believe that there are some types:
Put Your Baby To Sleep On Their Back
According to Lou Hampers, you should put your baby down to sleep on his or her back, rather than on the stomach or side. This reduces the risk of SIDS by 50%. If you worry that your baby will choke on spit-up while sleeping, use a firm mattress and make sure that there are no pillows or blankets near the headboard (which could cause suffocation).
Avoid Overheating In Your Baby’s Sleep Environment
Babies’ bodies are more sensitive to heat than adults and can overheat easily. To prevent this, avoid overbundling your baby with extra blankets or clothing, which can cause him or her to become too warm. Keep the room temperature at a comfortable level for you and your child (usually between 65-68 degrees Fahrenheit). If you need help keeping track of the temperature inside your house during winter months when it gets very cold outside, consider using an indoor thermometer instead of relying solely on what feels like “comfortable” for you– might be warmer than necessary!
Keep Dangerous Objects Out Of Your Infant’s Bed
When it comes to SIDS, there are some things that you should never put in an infant’s crib or bassinet. These include:
- Soft objects such as pillows, blankets and stuffed animals — these can cause suffocation if they’re placed over the face or head during sleep
- Toys that have small parts that could be swallowed by your baby (or even choke them)
- Anything else that may pose a suffocation hazard
Breastfeed Your Baby
Breastfeeding your baby is the best form of nutrition for them. It helps to protect against SIDS, ear infections and asthma, as well as allergies and obesity, saysLou Hampers. Breastfeeding also improves bonding between you and your child.
Avoid Secondhand Smoke Exposure While Breastfeeding
The most important thing you can do to keep your baby safe from SIDS is to avoid secondhand smoke exposure while breastfeeding. Secondhand smoke can cause health problems for your baby later in life, and even if you don’t smoke yourself, there are still ways for them to be exposed to it. If you are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or elsewhere, the risk of SIDS increases significantly for infants up until age 1 year old.
If you live in an environment where there is a lot of secondhand smoke exposure (like if they are around smokers), try keeping them indoors as much as possible when they’re young so that they don’t breathe in harmful chemicals like nicotine and carbon monoxide that may increase their chances of developing serious respiratory illnesses later on down the road!
