Ventilation Makes a Difference While researchers still aren't exactly sure what causes SIDS, one potential factor is rebreathing carbon dioxide that has been exhaled. Researchers believe that exhaled carbon dioxide may get trapped near an infant's mouth and nose during sleep when there isn't adequate ventilation.
Goodstein said, when babies sleep in the same room as their parents, the background sounds or stirrings prevent very deep sleep and that helps keeps the babies safe. Room sharing also makes breast-feeding easier, which is protective against SIDS.
Fans should never blow directly on the baby and should be out of baby's reach. A lukewarm bath or cool wash cloth can help cool baby down. In very hot weather, take your baby somewhere with air-conditioning such as a mall or a friend's house.
It is important to make sure that your baby is a comfortable temperature – not too hot or too cold. The chance of SIDS is higher in babies who get too hot. A room temperature of 16-20°C – with light bedding or a lightweight, well-fitting baby sleep bag– is comfortable and safe for sleeping babies.
Babies who sleep on their backs are at lower risk for SIDS than babies who sleep on their stomachs or sides. If baby usually sleeps on their back, putting them on the stomach or side to sleep for a nap or at night,increases the risk for SIDS by up to 45 times.
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.
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.
The results found that running a fan in a sleeping infant's room lowered the risk for SIDS by 72 percent. That risk was lowered even further when the infant's sleeping conditions put him or her at higher risk for SIDS, such as sleeping in a warm room or sleeping on the stomach.
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).
SIDS is primarily caused by a lack of air ventilation and air circulation. A room that's too hot and stuffy can also be a likely culprit for SIDS. Therefore, turning on a fan in your bub's room is an effective way to help regulate a room's temperature and provide vital air circulation and ventilation.
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.
Additional Benefits of Having a Fan in Baby's Room
White noise—which also mimics the sounds inside the womb—helps to muffle the noises outside the room so that your baby can fall asleep easier and stay asleep longer.
Most SIDS deaths happen in babies between 1 month and 4 months of age, and the majority (90%) of SIDS deaths happen before a baby reaches 6 months of age. However, SIDS deaths can happen anytime during a baby's first year. Slightly more boys die of SIDS than girls.
Babies are hard wired to wake frequently at night. It's a conveniently built-in safety feature that ensures parents tend to their needs. Frequent waking arouses the brain regularly which is protective against SIDS. Sleeping longer before your baby's brain is ready (sleep training) can be dangerous.
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.
Babies can become wedged between a parent's body and the back of a couch or the arm of a chair and the weight of the adult's body can prevent them from breathing. Sleeping with your baby on a sofa also puts your baby at a greatly increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Infants at the age when SIDS occurs quite frequently spend most of their sleep in a stage known as rapid eye movement or REM sleep. This sleep stage is characterized by the dysregulation of various mechanosensory airway and chemosensory autonomous reflexes that are critical for survival (18, 19).
More than 90% of all SIDS deaths occur before 6 months of age. 72% of SIDS deaths occur in Months 1–4. To reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death: Always place baby on his or her back to sleep, for naps and at night.
It's tempting to keep the white noise going through the night, but it's really not recommended. "Operate the infant sound machine for a short duration of time," Schneeberg advises. She recommends using a timer or shutting it off once your baby is asleep, provided you're still awake.
However, the disadvantage of this method is that the fan will blow directly into the child's body, causing breathing difficulties, nasal congestion and even bad effects on the respiratory system. In addition, the blades of the fan during rotation will also attract dust and wind, which will bring dust towards the child.
Babies tend to sleep better in a comfortably cool room. Because babies have a greater proportion of exposed surface area for their weight, it is easier for them to lose body heat.
Some people fear that a ceiling fan will overheat and catch fire if left running overnight; however, these fears are unreasonable. Ceiling fans are designed and manufactured to run for hours on end, and if you invest your money in a reputable brand, you shouldn't have any fears.
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.
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.
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.