After 6-months old, babies are typically able to lift their heads, roll over, or wake up more easily, and the risk of SIDS decreases dramatically. However, 10% of SIDS happens between 6 and 12 months of age and safe sleep recommendations should be followed up to a baby first birthday.
Most deaths happen during the first 6 months of a baby's life. Infants born prematurely or with a low birthweight are at greater risk.
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.
While the cause of SIDS is unknown, many clinicians and researchers believe that SIDS is associated with problems in the ability of the baby to arouse from sleep, to detect low levels of oxygen, or a buildup of carbon dioxide in the blood. When babies sleep face down, they may re-breathe exhaled carbon dioxide.
White noise reduces the risk of SIDS.
We DO know that white noise reduces active sleep (which is the sleep state where SIDS is most likely to occur).
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.
A 2019 analysis found that infant sleep sacks “are as safe, if not safer, than other bedding” when it comes to preventing sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
We conclude that there has been a further fall in SIDS following the initial considerable decline in SIDS following the recommendation to avoid placing infants prone to sleep, and this is likely to be due to the substantial increase in the proportion of infants placed to sleep on their back rather than on their side.
The rate of SIDS deaths per 100,000 live births has declined in Australia since the beginning of national public education campaigns about risk factors associated with SIDS in 1991 (AIHW 2012). Between 2007 and 2017 the rate declined from 28 per 100,000 to 6 in 2017, following a peak in 2009 of 32 per 100,000.
Dr. Hauck: We don't know for sure why room-sharing without bed-sharing is protective, but we have some theories. One is that the babies are sleeping more lightly because there is more movement around them (so they cannot get into as deep a sleep, which can contribute to the final pathway in SIDS).
The results showed a positive correlation between temperature and SIDS in 3–12 month-old infants specifically. On days when temperatures were greater than 29 °C, there was a 2.78 times greater chance of sudden infant death than on 20 °C days.
However, it can happen wherever your baby is sleeping, such as when in a pushchair or even in your arms. It can also happen sometimes when your baby isn't sleeping – some babies have died in the middle of a feed.
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.
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.
After ensuring baby can move freely in whatever sleep sack they're wearing, families should next ensure that baby cannot overheat due to wearing a sleep sack. Indeed, babies are at much higher risk of overheating than being too cold.
The Moro reflex is the cause of your newborn baby to sleep with his arms above his head. This reflex, commonly referred to as the “startle reflex”, disappears by 6 months of age.
Studies have shown that the increased SIDS risk associated with colder temperatures in the winter can be explained by excessive clothing and overwrapping of infants.
As a rule of thumb, babies should not be exposed to noise levels over 60 decibels. The noise level recommended for hospital nurseries is actually lower, at 50 dB. For reference, a quiet conversation is between 50 and 55 dB and an alarm clock is 80 dB.
SUID rates per 100,000 live births were lowest among non-Hispanic White infants (83.6), Hispanic infants (56.4), and non-Hispanic Asian infants (22.6).
Are white noise machines safe for babies? The answer again, is YES, white noise machines are safe for babies. If you keep white noise at a safe level and at a safe distance from your baby's ears, there's absolutely nothing to worry about.
SIDS rates declined considerably from 130.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 38.4 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020.
Approximately 60% of SIDS victims are male, and it has been suggested that male infants have delayed cortical maturation compared to females. We hypothesized that CA frequency would be lower and CA threshold would be higher in male infants during both active (AS) and quiet (QS) sleep.
Takeaways. Babies do best in a cool room (68–72˚F). A cooler environment helps prevent SIDS. Your baby's skin on the chest and stomach should feel warm and dry.