Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) occurs when an infant under the age of 1 year dies without an explainable cause.
The American Academy of Pediatrics offers these suggestions on how you can help reduce your baby's risk of SIDS:
- Make sure baby sleeps on his or her back, on a firm mattress in a crib that meets government safety standards.
- Ideally, only use a fitted sheet in baby's crib. If you use a blanket, carefully tuck it into the mattress. Also avoid crib bumpers (unless they are thin, tightly secured and firm), and pillows, quilts or comforters.
- Don't let baby sleep on a chair, couch, water bed, cushion or sheepskin.
- Set up baby's crib in your room, but don't let baby sleep in your bed.
- Make sure baby doesn't get too hot while sleeping. Keep the room at a temperature that's comfortable for you.
- Don't smoke or allow anyone else to smoke around baby.
- Avoid products that claim to reduce an infant's risk of SIDS. No product has been proven to do so, the academy says.
Health Tip: Check Baby's Toys for Safety Issues
Play time for babies and toddlers should be fun for both the young ones and their parents.
The U.S. Home Safety Council says parents should check all toys to make sure they're safe and age-appropriate for children. It offers these guidelines:
- Use a toilet paper roll to gauge safe toy size. (Toys should be too big to fit into the child's mouth.) If any of your young one's toys fit inside the toilet paper roll, they probably are a choking hazard.
- Inspect toys to ensure there are no broken parts.
- Search your home for any tiny toys or parts that could pose a choking hazard.
- Store toys and games designed for older children out of reach of younger ones.
- Avoid toys with cords or strings that could become wrapped around a child.
- Keep latex balloons away from children.
- Make sure all toys have been safety-tested.
- Don't let young children play with motorized or electric toys.
- Throw away packaging from new toys as soon as possible.
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