Fewer Babies Die of SIDS as Parents Heed Warnings

What This Means to You

To help reduce the risk of SIDS for babies of all ages, make sure everyone who takes care of your little one — in and out of your home — follows these extremely important safety precautions:

• Unless your doctor says otherwise, always place your baby to sleep on the back — never on the belly or the side — on a firm mattress in a crib or bassinet (never on a pillow, waterbed, sheepskin, or other soft surface).

• Never put your baby to bed with blankets, comforters, quilts, pillows, or plush toys.

• Don't put your baby to sleep in your bed — instead, keep the crib or bassinet in the room where you're sleeping. You can bring your infant to your bed for nursing or comforting, but return your baby to the crib or bassinet to sleep.

• Never smoke or let anyone else smoke around your baby both during pregnancy and after your baby is born.

• Consider putting your baby to sleep sucking on a pacifier.

• Breastfeed, if possible.

• Keep the room temperature comfortable and don't overbundle your baby.

• Get early and regular prenatal care during your pregnancy and make sure your baby gets regular checkups throughout infancy.

Although it's essential to never put babies to sleep on their bellies, supervised "tummy time" while awake keeps babies from developing a flat head (called positional plagiocephaly). Plus, tummy time is key to helping infants develop the skills they need to lift their heads, roll over, sit up, and eventually crawl.

When babies start rolling over on their own, usually around 4 to 7 months, they may change their position when sleeping. At this point, there's no need to frantically keep flipping your snoozing baby back onto the back — it's perfectly normal and OK for older infants to roll onto their sides or bellies by themselves as they sleep.

Source: "The Continuing Decline in SIDS Mortality," Archives of Disease in Childhood, July 2007.