How Do You Avoid Sudden Infant Death Syndrome?
Sadly, every year nearly 2,500 babies die unexpectedly due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. SIDS is the leading cause of death in infants under one year old with ninety percent of these deaths occurring before the child reaches six months old. The statistics can be frightening for new parents and while there is no way to completely prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, there are some easy things you can do to reduce your baby’s risk. Stop smoking. Smoking during pregnancy and around your baby after he or she is born increases his or her risk of SIDS. Breastfeed your baby. Breast fed babies tend to wake up more often during the night for feedings and it’s believed that this discourages the deep sleep that’s associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Reducing the risk of SIDS is just one of the many benefits of breastfeeding. Remember “back to sleep”. Always place your baby on her back to sleep. Sleeping on her side or her stomach can drastically increase her risk for Sudden Infant De
