What is SIDS?

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is defined as the unexpected death of an infant under 1 year of age that is unexplained by history, postmortem exam, and death scene investigation [1] . SIDS is the leading cause of post-neonatal mortality in the United States, accounting for almost 40% of deaths in infants from 1 month to 1 year of age. Approximately 7 of every 10,000 live born infants in the United States succumb to SIDS. Specific groups of infants have been identified to be at “high risk” for dying suddenly and unexpectedly and include premature infants, siblings of SIDS victims, and infants who have experienced “Apparent Life-Threatening Episodes” -- turned blue and/or stopped breathing. Georgia and the Southeast are lagging behind the national trend in the decrease in deaths from SIDS because parents here do not follow the proper guidelines when putting children to sleep [2] .

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