Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (or Cot Death as it is known in some countries), is the greatest common cause of death in babies under the age of 12 months. This shocking problem happens while the infant is sleeping. Up until today there unfortunately is not a known cure, or even a known explanation in fact, as to why some babies are affected by SIDS while others aren't. The fact is though that over 2,500 children die in America every year from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Even though the number of infant deaths have been reduced by approximately forty percent by the instigation of preventative measures and following baby sleep safety techniques to protect babies from SIDS, there unfortunately is not a way at present to fully ward off the occurrence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Tips for Baby Sleep Safety
*Lay your child on his or her back. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome has been closely linked to children sleeping on their tummies.
*Ensure your baby has a firm mattress. Avoid types of fluffy toys or baby pillows that could cause suffocation.
*Do not let your baby overheat in the night. children have a higher body temperature than us and do not need so many blankets - do not let Infant be too cold either though!
*Don't smoke, take drugs or drink alcohol either before or after your baby's birth. Smoke from cigarettes is known to be a contributing factor to SIDS.
*Join in with early and parental care clinics, particularly if you are a parent for the first time.
*Breast feed Infant if it is at all possible. Breast fed babies are statistically much less likely to be affected by SIDS.
*Consider giving your baby a pacifier in the initial 12 months of life. It is not known why but children that are given a pacifier during this time are much less likely to be claimed by Cot Death.
*Do not sleep with Infant in the same bed or let Infant sleep in a normal adult bed. A baby has a higher chance of suffocating when in a bed that has been designed for adults. It is fine to comfort and feed Infant in bed as long as you return him or her to his or her own cot afterwards.
SIDS is not the same as any other disease or syndrome. Most conditions surrounding a baby's death are diagnosed by A symptoms associated with the death. Cot Death however is only diagnosed once any other possibilities are dismissed.
Risk Factors
There are a few notable risk factors or specific trends that can be observed in data related to SIDS. All of these risks should be noted and addressed by mothers and fathers that have children in a high-risk category.
*Boys are more likely than girls to die from SIDS. There is relatively little that can be done about this fact, it is included here as a notation.
*Drinking alcohol, drug use and smoking are understood to be three of the main contributory factors to Cot Death. In simple terms, if you value the health of your baby, keep away from destructive drugs like these!
*Poor parental care. First-time or young parents are the greatest risk. However, as long as a parent ensures they get early and frequent parental care checks and also have the backing of friends and family, the chances of this happening are significantly reduced.
*Babies born prematurely are at an increased Dangers of SIDS.
Premature babies at birth have a disadvantage initially with and are often quite fragile and under developed. This is once again more of a note than a specific prevention.
*Mothers who are less than twenty years of age are at Dangers of having a child die from Cot Death. This can be for a diversification of reasons such as plain inexperience or unintended neglect.
By using the tips I've listed above and ensuring that you are aware of the dangers and also implementing the child sleep safety precautions you can lessen the likelihood of losing a baby to SIDS. For parents who have sadly lost a baby to Cot Death there are numerous excellent support groups available to help in going through the process of grieving.
About the Author:
Chris is the webmaster of www.infantsleep.info which gives a wealth of information, help and advice on infant sleep problems.
Infant Sleep Safety - Lessening the Dangers of Cot Death
