Prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Prevention list: Methods of prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome mentioned in various sources includes those listed below. This prevention information is gathered from various sources, and may be inaccurate or incomplete. None of these methods guarantee prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
- Good prenatal care during pregnancy
- Avoid smoking during pregnancy
- Sleep baby on their back - this is safer than on their stomach. Can be difficult for babies that like to roll onto their stomach. Not recommended if the baby has some other disorder that makes them likely to vomit or choke such as GERD or certain upper airway disorders .
- Sleep baby on their side - not as effective as on the back; ensure their lower arm is forward to avoid rolling onto their front.
- Sleep baby on firm mattress - avoid overly soft beddings.
- Avoid bedsharing - somewhat unclear; mother sharing a bed with baby may slightly increase the risk of SIDS.
- Avoid alcohol if bedsharing
- Avoid soft bedding under baby - e.g. comforters
- Quilts
- Etc
- Avoid smoking
- Avoid second-hand cigarette smoke
- Control temperature - keep baby warm
- But not too warm
- As this can make the baby overheat
- Breastfeeding - some studies show a reduced risk of SIDS in breastfed babies.
- Home breathing monitors - these monitors automatically detect when a baby stops breathing for a certain time.
- Immunization against whooping cough (pertussis) - because of the possibility of pertussis as a misdiagnosis of SIDS, the prevention of pertussis may be helpful in preventing SIDS. Some studies show a reduced incidence of SIDS in pertussis-vaccinated infants. However, pertussis vaccination is not available in the very first months of the child's life.
Last revision: June 18, 2003
Medical Tools & Articles:
Next articles:
Medical Articles: