Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death among infants between 1 month and 1 year of age. Even though SIDS can occur any time during a baby's first year, most SIDS deaths occur in babies between 1 and 4 months of age.
The peak incidence of SIDS occurs between 1 – 4 months of age; 90% of cases occur before 6 months of age.
SIDS occurs between the first month and before the first year of an infant's life. Infants aged 2-4 months endanger greater risk of SIDS, while most deaths occur in infants during the sixth month of their life6.
The cause of SIDS is unknown. But it may be caused by problems in the area of an infant's brain that controls breathing and waking up from sleep. Researchers have found some things that might put babies at higher risk. They've also found some things you can do to help protect your child from SIDS .
SIDS is most common at 2-4 months of age when the cardiorespiratory system of all infants is in rapid transition and therefore unstable. So, all infants in this age range are at risk for dysfunction of neurological control of breathing.
Prenatal/pregnancy factors:
Getting regular medical care beginning early in and continuing throughout pregnancy reduces the risk of SIDS. Smoking during pregnancy greatly increases baby's risk for SIDS. Drug and alcohol use during pregnancy increases baby's risk for SIDS.
What are the symptoms? SIDS has no symptoms or warning signs. Babies who die of SIDS seem healthy before being put to bed. They show no signs of struggle and are often found in the same position as when they were placed in the bed.
Infants (children under 1 year) had the highest rate of death in all jurisdictions in 2020, accounting for 59% of all child deaths in Australia. Rates of infant deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and undetermined causes ranged between 0.16 and 0.52 per 1,000 live births.
By the time a baby turns 12 months old, the risk of sudden death is negligible. Here are recommendations for reducing the risk of SIDS: a) Avoid exposing your baby to cigarette smoke before or after birth. b) Avoid falling asleep with your baby in dangerous environment (bed, chair, or sofa).
Even though the thought can be deeply unsettling, experts agree that there aren't any warning signs for SIDS. And since SIDS isn't diagnosed until after an infant has died and the death has been investigated, you can't catch SIDS while it's happening and stop it, for instance, by performing CPR.
White noise may also block out excess stimulation and thus, reduce stress levels in babies. But older claims that white noise can reduce the risk of SIDS need more current research.
Infants are sensitive to extremes in temperature and cannot regulate their body temperatures well. Studies have shown that multiple layers or heavy clothing, heavy blankets, and warm room temperatures increase SIDS risk. Infants who are in danger of overheating feel hot to the touch.
SIDS is less common after 8 months of age, but parents and caregivers should continue to follow safe sleep practices to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death until baby's first birthday. More than 90% of all SIDS deaths occur before 6 months of age.
Babies and parents who room share seem to sleep less soundly. If babies wake up more easily, this may reduce the risk of SIDS. Additionally, room sharing infants are more likely to breast feed more frequently (which has also been shown to reduce this risk of SIDS).
The triple-risk model (or triple risk hypothesis) is the best current consensus explanation for SIDS encompassing three key factors: a vulnerable infant. a critical developmental period. an external stressor.
Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the occurrence of SIDS by over 50 percent by improving the immune system, promoting brain growth, reducing reflux and a variety of other factors. While six months of breastfeeding is recommended, only two months of breastfeeding is required to significantly cut the risk of SIDS.
Smoking in the home increases SIDS risk. According to the CDC, many babies who die from SIDS have higher levels of nicotine in their lungs — as well as cotinine, a biological marker indicating exposure to secondhand smoke. Don't use alcohol or other illicit drugs during pregnancy or after the baby is born, either.
The key risk factors associated with SUDI in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants are: low birthweight. premature birth. maternal nutrition during pregnancy.
The incidence of SIDS has been more than halved in recent years due to public health campaigns addressing the known major risk factors of prone sleeping, maternal smoking and overheating.
The highest SIDS rates in 1990 (>2.0/1000 live births) were in Ireland, New Zealand, and Scotland. More recently, the highest SIDS rates (>0.5/1000 live births) are in New Zealand and the United States. The lowest rates (<0.2/1000) are in Japan and the Netherlands.
Results: The majority of SIDS deaths (83%) occurred during night-time sleep, although this was often after midnight and at least four SIDS deaths occurred during every hour of the day.
In most cases of sleep-related infant death, it is impossible to make a definitive classification of SIDS vs. accidental suffocation. Autopsy findings are similar and death scenes often reveal possible asphyxiating conditions, such as prone sleep or co-bedding, without clear evidence of airway obstruction.
Here is what we know so far:
SIDS is not caused by choking, vomiting or suffocation.
Overheating may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in babies one month to one year of age. Many experts recommend that the temperature in the room where a baby's sleeps be kept between 68–72°F (20–22.2°C).
A baby room temperature above 72 degrees Fahrenheit, or 22 degrees Celsius, may be too warm. An older study from California found that using a fan when temperatures rose above 70 degrees was associated with a lower risk of SIDS.