Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) What is sudden infant death
syndrome (SIDS)? Sometimes a baby who seems healthy dies during
sleep. This is called sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS. In
most cases, a parent or caregiver places the baby down to sleep
and returns later to find the baby has died. It's no one's
fault. SIDS can happen even when you do everything right.
Although SIDS is rare, it is one of the most common causes of
death in babies between 1 and 12 months of age. Most babies who
die of SIDS are between the ages of 2 and 4 months. What causes
SIDS? Doctors don't know what causes SIDS. It seems to happen
more often in premature and low-birth-weight babies. It also is
seen more often in babies whose mothers didn't get medical care
during the pregnancy and in babies whose mothers smoke. SIDS may
also be more likely in babies who were part of a multiple
pregnancy (for example, twins or triplets) or whose mothers are
younger than 20. When babies sleep on their bellies, they may
not breathe well. Not t