Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the cause of over 3,500 babies' death, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because of the fragility of babies, parents do have a role to fulfill in order to lessen the likelihood of their child afflicted with SIDS, and some of these steps are so simple that parents would be surprised they missed it.
According to Mayo Clinic, SIDS is the unexplainable sudden death of an infant and it usually happens during their sleep while these infants are in their cribs hence, it is sometimes known as "crib death." Researchers have suggested that parents should always put their babies on their backs especially when they are about to sleep as sleeping on the other side may cause difficulty of breathing towards the child.
CNN also reports that parents should share a room with their babies so as to best monitor them, especially during the wee hours of the night. In case of an emergency, parents can act immediately and notice any unusual activity with the child.
The child, however, should not be sleeping on the same bed as the parents as the latter may not have control on their sleeping activity and may impair the child. The report also suggests that the child should not be sleeping on a soft surface.
Even though various reports offer these tips for parents, there is still no known cause for SIDS and the consensus is that the baby's brain might not be developed enough especially for respiratory purposes. The brain may not have matured enough, so the baby may have less control on automatic processes, which include breathing.
It is indeed true that babies affected by SIDS have decreased over the past few years and the chances of which are slimmer compared to other diseases. However, a possibility is still a possibility and it can indeed happen to anyone. When it does, the results are pretty much devastating and traumatizing for young parents.
