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Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: The latest research

What is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome?

• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is also known as SIDS or cot death.
• It means the sudden and unexplained death of an infant less than one year of age.
• SIDS typically strikes children aged between eight and sixteen weeks.
• It can happen anywhere at anytime when your baby is sleeping, not just when your baby’s sleeping in a cot.
• Another condition possibly associated to SIDS is an Acute Life Threatening Event or ALTE.
• This condition involves an episode of colour change, limpness, choking, gagging and temporary lack of breathing in your baby.
• It is not known what relationship, if any, ALTE has to SIDS.

How is SIDS diagnosed?

• It’s not possible to diagnose SIDS without a post mortem.
• This allows doctors to exclude other causes of death such as an infection.

Why does SIDS happen?

• There is no single identifiable reason why SIDS happens.
• However, a number of risk factors have been identified for the syndrome.
• This has led to a number of ’Reduce the Risk of Cot Death’ campaigns that have led to a significant reduction in the number of cot deaths in Ireland.

What are the risk factors?

Smoking

• Smoking has been identified as a major risk factor in causing SIDS.
• Smoking during pregnancy and exposure to passive smoke when your baby’s born carries all kinds of health dangers, including an increased risk of SIDS.
• You, your partner and any other visitor should not smoke in the house, or anywhere near your baby when you’re out.
• Avoid any smoky environments when you’re out with your baby.

Waking and arousal patterns

• Some research has identified unusual waking and arousal patterns as a risk factor for SIDS.
• This problem means a baby is unable to realise their supply of air is not sufficient, and they don’t wake up.

Sleeping position

• Research has shown a significantly increased risk for babies who are placed down to sleep on their stomachs.
• So the safest way for your baby to sleep is on her back.
• It’s also recommended you lay your baby down to sleep with her feet near the foot of the bed, meaning she doesn’t have far to wriggle downwards.
• This helps her to avoid her mouth and nose being covered by the bedding.

Temperature

• It’s important to keep your baby’s room at the correct temperature of between 16-20 °C (60-70°F).
• The easiest way to monitor room temperature is to keep a thermometer in the nursery.
• You also need to prevent your baby from getting too cold. Use layers of clothing and bedding so you can regulate her temperature by adding and removing them as required.
• Check your baby’s temperature with your hand on your baby’s tummy or back of the neck, not her hands or feet.

Premature birth

• It’s been also proposed that premature babies are at increased risk of SIDS because they haven’t been long enough in the womb to enable their lungs to develop at the same rate as a full term baby’s.

Myths about SIDS

• There is no relationship between SIDS and immunisation programs.
• It’s not possible for your baby to catch SIDS from another child.

What other action can I take to help prevent SIDS in my baby?

• For the first few months let your baby sleep in the same room as you.
• If he’s unwell, contact your doctor without delay.
• Remember SIDS is comparatively rare, so don’t let the fear of cot death spoil your time with your baby.

Further information

For further information and support please contact;

The Irish Sudden Infant Death Association
Carmichael House
4, North Brunswick Street
Dublin 7
Tel: (01) 8732711.