CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC HEALTH


SIDS

SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden, unexplained death of an infant younger than one year old. Some people call SIDS "crib death" because many babies who die of SIDS are found in their cribs.


SIDS is the leading cause of death in children between one month and one year old. Most SIDS deaths occur when babies are between one month and four months old. Premature babies, boys, African Americans, and American Indian/Alaska Native infants have a higher risk of SIDS.
Although health care professionals don't know what causes SIDS, they do know ways to reduce the risk. These include:

Image result for images on SIDS

This information is meaningful to me because so many people are not even aware SIDS. It is so important that families be educated on the safe sleep habits when it comes to their infant.


Compared to rates in other developed countries, the U.S. SIDS rate remains high. For example, in 2005, the U.S. rate ranked second highest (after New Zealand) among 13 countries in a research study by Fern Hauck and Kawai Tanabe. The lowest SIDS rates among these countries were in the Netherlands and Japan.


Comments

  1. Donna HoltMay 20, 2018 at 3:53 PM

    Yolanda,

    SIDS is very scary! I remember when my sons were newborns, I would wake up several times a night to sneak over to their crib to make sure they were still breathing. My mother-in-law and I discussed how doctors used to encourage parents to put their babies to be on their stomachs. When my oldest was born, the doctor encouraged swaddling him and placing him on his back in his own room. Being a new mom, I did just that for the most part. Zack slept on his back in the cradle in our bedroom. It convenient for nighttime breastfeeding and it allowed me to check on him while he slept. Seven years later, I followed the same routine with my second son.

    Just out of curiousity, why do you suppose the Netherlands and Japan have the lowest SIDS rates?

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