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What you need to know

What you need to know

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Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is also known as crib or cot death. The term, SIDS, describes the sudden, unexplained death of an infant less than one year old.

SIDS is a subcategory of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID). SUID  is a newer term that you may not be familiar with. The term describes a sudden, unexpected death of an infant (age birth to 1 year). The cause of death is undetermined until a thorough investigation of events is completed. The Centers for Disease Control reports that in 2022, there were approximately 3,700 unexpected infant deaths in the United States.

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Babies should always sleep on their back.

Following investigation, SUID deaths are categorized as:

  1. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
  2. Accidental strangulation or suffocation in bed
  3. Other or unknown causes of death

To explain the cause of SIDS, the Triple- Risk model has been proposed. When these factors converge, there is an increased risk for SIDS in infants:

  1. Vulnerable Infant – male sex, minority race/ethnicity, premature infant
  2. Critical Development Period – respiratory and cardiac and neurological development
  3. Outside Stressor(s) – bedding, positioning, infections, colds

Many infant deaths occur in the baby's sleep area or during sleep. In 2022, the American Acade​my of Pediatrics updated their recommendations for creating a safe sleep environments for infants.  These recommendations act as a guide - providing parents and caregivers of infants, and members of the healthcare community, information to reduce the risk and incidence of SUID and SIDS. The Centers for Disease Control provides data and statistics about SUID and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

 

Safe sleep practices are the ACTIONS that you CAN take to keep your baby safe during sleep and reduce risk:

  • Always place your baby on their back to sleep
  • Use a firm, flat surface for baby to sleep
  • Breastfeeding is best
  • Baby can sleep in your same room, but on their own surface
  • Remove all soft, fluffy objects or pillows, blankets/quilts/loose bedding from baby's sleep space
  • A pacifier at bedtime or naptime is okay
  • Prenatal care for pregnant moms
  • During and after pregnancy- avoid exposure to smoke, nicotine, alcohol, illicit drugs, marijuana and opioids
  • Avoid overheating the baby
  • Immunize baby
  • Place your baby on their back to sleep
  • Supervised tummy time is okay for short periods, gradually increase to a TOTAL of 15 -30 minutes daily by infants' age of 7 weeks if okay with their provider.


There are some practices that have changed over the years that may be different from what our parents and grandparents did before us. Teach your baby's caregivers about safe sleep for your baby.

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Resources

Nursing and Health Care Provider Education

The national Safe to Sleep® campaign (formerly Back to Sleep), led by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), recently launched an updated free continuing education (CE) activity, Risk Reduction for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Other Sleep-Related Causes of Infant Death, now available online for nurses and health care providers to update their knowledge about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep related causes of infant death. The updated CE activity gathers the latest research on SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death and the safe sleep recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics into one place so that nurses and health care providers can learn risk-reduction practices quickly and easily. In addition to providing key messages that nurses can share with parents and caregivers, the updated CE activity also offers specific communication practices that nurses can easily incorporate into their work day. It is approved by the Maryland Nurses Association, an accredited approver of the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation, for 1.5 contact hours. 

For Nebraska DHHS-developed videos and brochures about the “ABC's of Safe Sleep", visit:


For additional resources about safe sleep for a variety of populations and offered in different languages:


For additional information about safe sleep practices, sudden unexplained infant death, and sudden infant death syndrome, visit:


​Sudden Unexplained Infant D​eath Reporting​​

For more information, contact the Maternal & Child Health Program at dhhs.mcashfeedback@nebraska.gov​