“Back to sleep” campaign from the AAP helped reduce SIDS by about 50%. Proper sleep position is crucial to reducing SIDs.
Risk Factors for SIDS / Things that increase the risk of SIDS.
-Side sleeping
-Prone sleeping
-Bed sharing
-Male sex,
-Native American ethnicity,
-birth weight <2500 g,
-birth before 37 weeks gestation
Things that Decrease Risk of SIDs
-The use of pacifiers during sleep
-Exclusive breastfeeding.
infants of Asian or Pacific Islander ethnicity have a lower than average risk of SIDS
The AAP recommends offering a pacifier for use during sleep. New studies show that pacifiers don’t interfere with breastfeeding!
Further reading / References
Am Fam Physician 2015;91(11):778-783. Sudden infant death syndrome.
Am Fam Physician. 2018 Mar 1;97(5):311-312. Effect of Pacifier Use on Duration of Breastfeeding