Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
is the major cause of death of children under the age of six months and therefore a serious worry for parents. Unfortunately, this is an illness
that cannot be prevented because almost all SIDS deaths have no symptoms nor advance warning signs (death occurs when you think baby is asleep).
However, it is possible to lower the risks if you take the following steps:
Make sure baby sleeps on his back until he is six months old.
Do
everything you can to have baby sleep alone.
Do not place in baby's crib anything that he could choke on (stuffed animals, pillows)
Avoid soft
mattresses. Babies should be on firm mattresses and tight-fitting sheets.
Do not smoke, use drugs or alcohol during pregnancy and until your
child turns at least two years old.
Make sure that the room temperature is not too high. Room temperature should be comfortable for an adult
dressed in light clothing. Baby should not be warm to the touch.
Avoid breathing monitors and commercial products as a means of lowering the
risk of SIDS. Studies show that these products do not help prevent this syndrome.
Never give honey to a child younger than one year old as this
could cause infantile botulism in very young children; this illness is linked to SIDS.
Although studies show that parents who take these
precautionary measures lower to a great degree the risk of SIDS, the importance and impact of each factor has not yet been defined nor understood
by medical researchers. In the event of an emergency, and so they can be a little more at ease, parents could take a course in cardiopulmonary
resuscitation.
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