What parents can do to help keep babies safe:
We don’t know what causes SIDS. But here are some recommendations that have been found to reduce risks:
- Room-sharing is recommended, but bed-sharing is not.
- Room-sharing without bed-sharing decreases the risk of SIDS by as much as 50 percent.
- Place baby’s crib in the room where you sleep until the child is at least 6 months old.
- Place babies on their backs to sleep.
- SIDS deaths decreased significantly following “back to sleep,” in which parents were urged to place their babies on their backs, not tummies, to go to sleep.
- Safe sleeping environments can help reduce risk.
- Use a firm mattress that fits snugly inside the crib.
- Do not use car seats, swings or strollers as beds for infants under the age of 4 months.
- Eliminate fluffy bedding — stuffed animals, pillows, blankets, and bumper pads — from infant sleep areas.
- How to keep baby warm in cooler months without blankets:
- Use a sleep sack and/or footed pajamas
- Keep baby’s face uncovered.
- Be sure to keep baby warm, but not overheated. Remember, they’re comfortable at the same temperatures you are.
For more information on safe sleep, please visit https://intermountainhealthcare.org/ext/Dcmnt?ncid=520408017.