Thursday, September 15, 2011

It's a parent's biggest fear, putting their baby down to sleep and the baby never waking up. Sudden infant death syndrome can be devastating to a family.

SIDS usually occurs within the first year of a baby's life. Most cases are reported when the baby is between 2 and 4 months old.

Researchers now know the mother's health and behavior during her pregnancy and the baby's health before birth seem to influence the occurrence of SIDS. Women are greater at risk of having a baby die of SIDS if they smoke, drink alcohol or take drugs, are younger than 20 years old, have poor prenatal care, low weight gain and suffer from anemia. However, SIDS can happen even if the mother is healthy during pregnancy and the baby is born healthy.

Here are some tips experts say can help reduce the risk of SIDS: