What parents can do to help keep babies safe:

We don’t know what causes SIDS. But here are some recommendations that have been found to reduce risks: 

• Room-sharing is recommended, but bed-sharing is not.
• Room-sharing without bed-sharing decreases the risk of SIDS by as much as 50 percent.
• Place baby’s crib in the room where you sleep until the child is at least 6 months old. 
• Place babies on their backs to sleep.
• SIDS deaths decreased significantly following “back to sleep,” in which parents were urged to place their babies on their backs, not tummies, to go to sleep.
• Safe sleeping environments can help reduce risk. 
• Use a firm mattress that fits snugly inside the crib.
• Do not use car seats, swings or strollers as beds for infants under the age of 4 months.
• Eliminate fluffy bedding — stuffed animals, pillows, blankets, and bumper pads — from infant sleep areas.
• How to keep baby warm in cooler months without blankets:
• Use a sleep sack and/or footed pajamas
• Keep baby’s face uncovered.
• Be sure to keep baby warm, but not overheated. Remember, they’re comfortable at the same temperatures you are.  

For more information on safe sleep, please visit https://intermountainhealthcare.org/ext/Dcmnt?ncid=520408017.