Health Tip: Reduce Your Baby's Risk of SIDS

Here's what you can do

(HealthDay News) -- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) occurs when an infant under the age of 1 year dies without an explainable cause.

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers these suggestions on how you can help reduce your baby's risk of SIDS:

  • Make sure baby sleeps on his or her back, on a firm mattress in a crib that meets government safety standards.
  • Ideally, only use a fitted sheet in baby's crib. If you use a blanket, carefully tuck it into the mattress. Also avoid crib bumpers (unless they are thin, tightly secured and firm), and pillows, quilts or comforters.
  • Don't let baby sleep on a chair, couch, water bed, cushion or sheepskin.
  • Set up baby's crib in your room, but don't let baby sleep in your bed.
  • Make sure baby doesn't get too hot while sleeping. Keep the room at a temperature that's comfortable for you.
  • Don't smoke or allow anyone else to smoke around baby.
  • Avoid products that claim to reduce an infant's risk of SIDS. No product has been proven to do so, the academy says.
Diana Kohnle

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