Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot deaths or crib deaths happens due to a cardiac arrest as a result of the immaturity of the nervous system and the cardio-respiratory function. SIDS is the term used to describe the sudden death of a healthy child where 90% occur in the first 6 months of life.
What are some of the risk factors?
• Statistics show that 3 out of 5 occurrences happen to baby boys.
• It generally happens during sleep time, from midnight to nine o’clock in the morning.
• A child has a higher risk if he was having mild respiratory infections and gastrointestinal symptoms the previous week.
• If a brother or sister suffers from the syndrome, the risk is 10 times greater for the sibling.
• A baby fed with formula has a much higher risk.
What are the recommended preventions?
• Do not sleep the baby face down especially in the first 6 months of life.
• The pregnant mother should avoid smoking and when nursing the newborn baby.
• The baby should not be exposed to cigarette smoke and aerosols.
• Do not overheat the baby by putting on too many clothing or by overheating the room.
• It is recommended that the baby sleeps in his own bed alone.
• It is recommended that the baby be fed with breast milk.
The actual cause of cot deaths is unknown but it is good to know the risk factors as well as the precautions to take in order to prevent one from happening. Below are a few websites you can refer to for more information:
www.sidscenter.org
www.sidsresources.org
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/suddeninfantdeathsyndrome.html
www.cdc.gov/SIDS
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As first time parent, we are so afraid of SIDS. And we requested the nurse and the babysitter not to let our child sleep face down.