how to prevent SIDS?

Question

im so afraid of SIDS. my baby is three months how can i prevent it?

Answer 1

You cannot prevent it and you cannot detect it. It happens to boys, girls, black, white, rich, poor etc. It happens to babies on their back, stomache, sides, car seats, swings, strollers, even babies being held. My baby died of SIDS and she was on her back. After she died I joined a SIDS group and began throwing my self into tons and tons of research for the next couple of years. I found out after joining my SIDS group the position that everyone says is the worst to put your baby in to sleep was the least popular position the babies were in that died. There were only a couple on their tummy the rest were on their backs, in swings, in car seats, and being held. The new criteria the medical examiner uses to rule a SIDS has changed from what it was several years ago. Suffocation is no longer termed a SIDS death; therefore, any baby that die while on their tummy and suffocates because it is face down, or suffocates because of a blanket in the crib, or because of a bumper pad, or becuase of stuffed animals is NOT considered SIDS. Babies that die face down and it is not because they were face down, etc. is a SIDS death and that baby would have died in any position as my daughter on her back. Sleep positioning has nothing to do with why babies suddenly stop breathing, it does, however, have to do with suffocation , not the same thing. Pacifiers do not work either. My daughter had a pacifier in her mother, as did several other mother's babies in my SIDS group, and she still died. The pacifier fell out of her mouth when she stopped breathing. My husband noticed it and that's what caught his attention. There is nothing you can do. Enjoy your baby and don't let it take over your life. That won't do you or your baby any good. I've had two more since my daughter died and it wasn't until after I had my subsequent daughter that I realized when she was about 3 months old that I needed to stop obsessing or I would miss out on so much. I did everything right (followed the same damn advice everyone is giving you and saying that will help prevent it) I did all of it and my baby still died, so after doing everything right and still losing my baby I decided that with this one I woudl leave it in God's hands and just enjoy her. It's hard but my advice to you would be not to take all the things that everyone on here is going to tell you to do and count on that because that is informatioon they are just getting off the internet. What I have learned is through my own personal research, off the internet. If you believe that all you have to do is put your baby to sleep on it's back, give it a pacifier, and all that other garbage and you do it you will be as mad as I was if something happens to your baby, and the bad part is there is nothign you can do to confince people that stuff does not guarantee anything unless they have been in your shoes.

Answer 2

The problem is that nobody knows exactly what causes SIDS, so it's darn near impossible to "prevent." But the theory nowadays is to have your baby sleep on its side. My two slept on their tummies the whole time, and nobody ever had a problem. Try doing an online search for the latest info on SIDS. Good luck, and try not to worry. It's not a frequently-occurring syndrome, and you have lots of other things you can worry about instead.

Answer 3

- Make sure your baby sleeps on his back, not on his belly or side.
- Make sure you keep the crib/basinet clear of anything the baby could smother in. Cover him with a blanket from the tummy down, not close to his head.
By now your child can move his/her head pretty good so if they throw up etc they can move their head to the side to remove anything from the mouth.
- Do not smoke in the house. If you smoke at all make sure you wash your hands after each cigarette and change clothing after smoking.
- Make sure the baby is not exposed to any chemicals etc (off your clothes etc).
- Do not have side padding in the crib (unless it is the mesh type that they can breathe through).


I follow all of these rules with my 3 month old.

I also heard that if you allow the child to sleep in his/her crib in the same room as you, the sound of your breathing can help them continue breathing normally when asleep.

They are not completely sure what causes SIDS but the tips I have given above can help prevent it. There are lots of other tips on the web to help prevent SIDS as well.

Answer 4

There is no way to 100% prevent but there are things toy can do to lower the risks

Instructs parents to put their infants to sleep on their backs and not their side or stomachs.

The most important thing that you can do to reduce the risk of SIDS is to put your baby to sleep on his back (sleeping on his side is not as safe, expecially if he can roll over onto his stomach) and never put him down alone on a waterbed, bean bag, or soft blanket that can cover his face and cause choking. Also make sure that daycare personal or baby-sitters also know to put your baby to sleep on his back.

Another risk factor for SIDS may be thermal stress or getting overheated. To avoid this you should provide your infant with a comfortable room temperature that isn't too warm or hot and avoid excessive bedclothes, covering the head and too much bundling.

While bedsharing may not increase the risk of SIDS, it is also not thought to be protective. The AAP has recently come out with a policy statement that does specifically recommend that babies sleep in a 'separate but proximate sleeping environment' such as a nearby crib, cradle, or bassinet. Cosleeping and bedsharing is no longer recommended.

Answer 5

Hi I know how you feel. My daughter will be 4 months old on the 19th, and I still check on her if she sleeps for a long time. Just put her on her back to sleep, make sure she is not too hot (which can cause apnea, which can cause SIDS), if you breastfeed, continue to do so, don't put anyhting in her crib or bassinet with her. there is also evidence that pacifiers can help stave SIDS off, so if the baby takes one you could try that. good luck and congrats on your little one!

Answer 6

I know how do you feel, everyone talks about it.
Just put the baby on his back, do not use any blankets. I bought for mine this little sleepers with the zipper.
I even don't let my son sleep with his hat, because he moves a lot and sometimes the hat goes over his nose.
Be careful, but try not to think about it all the time.

Answer 7

Wrap the matress in plastic claims one scientist. Prevents toxic RUBBER fumes generated by body heat from affecting the baby.

Answer 8

I totally understand how you feel. This website has a lot of great information about SIDS.



http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t102100.asp

Answer 9

You can't ever prevent it 100%, but you can reduce the chance of it happening.

-Don't let him sleep on his stomach
-Don't let him sleep in your bed with you
-Don't let him sleep with blankets, pillows, or stuffed animals

Answer 10

LAY YOUR BABY ON ITS BACK AND DON'T DRESS THEM TOO WARM