October is SIDS Awareness Month 

“Gone. The saddest word in the language. In any language.”  

Mark Slouka

October is SIDS Awareness Month, and the Training Institute wants to provide home visitors with some tools to help families prevent it. Here are a few basic facts about SIDS:

About Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

• SIDS is the sudden, unexplained death of an infant younger than one year of age while they sleep.
•  SIDS is the leading cause of  death for infants between 1-12 months.
• SIDS can happen anytime during the first year of life, but is most common between 2-4 months of age.
• The exact cause of SIDS remains a mystery.
• SIDS is not caused by immunizations, vomiting, or choking.

Two Things that Help in Preventing SIDS

1. Every time a baby is laid down for sleep — for naps, at night, or any time — they should be placed on their back.

• Also remember to tell all caretakers of a baby how essential it is to lay a sleeping baby on his back each time.

2. Parents should not allow their children to be around secondhand smoke.

• Smoking before, during and after pregnancy is associated with SIDS.
• Babies of mothers who smoke during pregnancy have a 3 times greater risk of SIDS.
• Babies who breathe second hand smoke have a 2.5 times greater risk of SIDS.

We have two new training modules ready that will give home visitors more information about SIDS. One is over Tobacco Usage and Cessation and includes information about SIDS and the effects of secondhand smoke. The other one is an injury prevention module that focuses on safe sleep. Just check our website for available dates if you are interested.

We look forward to seeing you at a future training!

Posted by: Dr. Kathy Pillow-Price on October 30, 2012