Sudden Infant Death Syndrome affects newborns all too often. Some people believe that SIDS cannot be helped by on the contrary, you as parents can do your part to lessen the risk of SIDS. SIDS prevention can begin as early as prenatal care. Make sure you are getting good medical care and get medical care as soon as you find out that you are pregnant. Make sure you get enough rest and it is very important to eat right. By taking care of yourself and the baby it may prevent a premature birth that is a contributing factor in SIDS.
Another way to lessen the risk of SIDS before the baby is born is to not smoke, drink or do drugs while pregnant. Using any of the above will only increase your chance of SIDS. Teenagers who get pregnant are a high risk for SIDS . The risk of SIDS reduces the older the mother is. The more children a teenage mother has the greater the risk each child may have for SIDS. Always put your baby to sleep on their backs. Babies who sleep on their back have a less of a chance to develop SIDS.
Make sure the mattress your baby is sleeping on is a firm mattress, never let the baby sleep with anything in their cribs, no toys, no pillow and no bumper pads. Do not dress your baby, keep their room at 70 degrees anything warmer than that increases the chance of SIDS. Do not allow your baby to be around anyone who smokes, not in the home and not even in the car. Babies who are breast fed have a decreased chance of developing SIDS than bottle fed babies. If you do your part as a parent you can reduce the risk of SIDS for your own baby, you owe them that much.
