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You may have heard of what SIDS is. Many unfortunate parents have been told that it was SIDS that caused the death of their baby. If you know nothing more about this condition than the fact that it is strongly linked with infant sleep, then you should try to improve your knowledge about it. After all, SIDS is the leading cause of death in infants from 1 month to one year. Knowing about SIDS might help ensure that you can help prevent your baby from having it.

What Is SIDS?

SIDS stands for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The term is often associated with swift and quick infant deaths that happen during a baby's sleep. A parent could wake up in the morning and simply find the baby dead in his crib. This condition is a little mysterious because the causes are not completely known and SIDS could happen even to babies who are completely healthy. SIDS as a cause of death could only later be concluded by a medical expert.

What Triggers SIDS?

At present, the identifiable cause for SIDS cannot be determined. Doctors and scientists are still really trying to figure out the reason for it. There are however, some studies which point out that some beliefs about SIDS causes may simply not be true. It purports that SIDS is not contagious and is not a hereditary condition. SIDS is also not caused by suffocation.

There are several theories that propose to explain the causes of SIDS. Experts think that SIDS could be caused by infections, respiratory obstacles or some inborn defects. Some also theorize that SIDS may be caused by toxins and chemicals found in the baby's mattress, beddings and sheets. As for now, all these are theories still need to be proven scientifically.

What Are the Risk Factors of SIDS?

Of course, it cannot be predicted which babies will have this condition, but there are several risk factors which may increase the risk of SIDS. It is believed that mothers who have poor health during pregnancy increase the possibility that their infants could later die of SIDS. Unhealthy infants that are the result of poor maternal health or poor pre natal care could also therefore be candidates for SIDS. It is also believed that mothers who are smokers or drug users during pregnancy are also increase the risk of their infants. Of course, smoking in the presence of your infant after birth is also always unhealthy and might just be a risk factor too.

Note that SIDS cases mostly occur between 2 to 4 months. According to statistics, male babies also have slightly higher incidences of SIDS compared to female infants.

Prevention

While it may be hard to prevent something which has no clear cause, it is always a good idea to take extra precaution against SIDS. For example, promoting certain baby sleeping patterns and habits is advisable. One of the first major recommendations is that babies should always be put on their backs when they are asleep. It is also recommended that cribs should be kept free of clutter, toys, extra pillows and even blankets during a baby's sleep time.

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