Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Risk Factors

To learn about SIDS causes, go to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Causes.

Pour connaître les causes du syndrome, rendez-vous au billet Les causes du syndrome de la mort subite du nourrisson.

There are many SIDS risk factors:

•       Sleeping on the side or stomach;
•       Premature birth or low birth-weight;
•       Lower and average growth rate;
•       Sleeping on a soft surface;
•       Sleeping in a very hot location;
•       Drug use or smoking during pregnancy;
•       Belonging to a financially disadvantaged family;
•       First Nations or African family roots;
•       Overabundance of objects in the bed;
•       Sharing the bed with another child or adult;
•       Parents who smoke in the home;
•       A brother or sister who died of SIDS;
•       Young age of the mother;
•       Absence or late provision of prenatal care;
•       A male baby;
•       History of cardiac arrest with resuscitation;
•       Low Apgar index. The Apgar index measures the child’s general health shortly after birth. It is based on          skin colour, breathing, heart rate, responsiveness and muscle tone.

You can see that, after reading about the different SIDS risk factors, some of them you can control, such as where and how you put your baby to sleep, heating, tobacco in the home, etc. Do everything you can to prevent SIDS. Even if there are no clear causes, it doesn’t mean that you should be less vigilant.

The information in this article should help you understand and prevent SIDS. Don’t forget to read Parents to the Rescue: First Aid for Babies. 

Get yourself a first aid kit with a rectal thermometer or without a rectal thermometer.

Thank you, Karl!

Talk soon,

Marie
The Baby Expert

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