Sudden infant death syndrome has dropped by well over 50 percent
since the 1994 initiative to have babies sleep on their backs.
Overall, SIDS strikes only 0.62 per 1000 babies in the United
States. This is great progress, but SIDS is still a leading
cause of death in babies. What can be done to protect even more
children? The National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development (NICHD) continues to sponsor a massive research
effort into understanding and preventing SIDS. A large study
published in the May 2003 issue of Pediatrics confirms and
expands what we know. Sleeping face down, sleeping with a
pillow, sleeping on a couch, and sleeping on a soft mattress or
bedding all dramatically increase the SIDS risk. The same was
true of mothers smoking during pregnancy. Besides sleeping
smoke-free, on the back, without a pillow, on firm bedding, what
decreased the risk? Breastfeeding (ever or currently) and
pacifier use both were associated with significantly lower SIDS
rates. Babies who were not currently brea