New Recommendations to Guard Against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Federal agencies are expressing support for the new infant safe sleep recommendations issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

The AAP announced the expansion of its recommendations for reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) to include recommendations for a safe sleep environment for all infants.

Many of the sleep environment risk factors for SIDS — bed sharing and soft bedding materials, for example — have accounted for the accidental suffocation observed in many cases of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), which describes any sudden and unexpected death of a child under 1 year of age, whether explained or unexplained.

The new recommendations were developed to reduce the risk of infant death from SIDS as well as death from known sleep-related causes, such as suffocation from soft bedding materials and entrapment from inappropriate sleep situations, such as becoming lodged between a mattress and headboard. Providing a safe sleep environment has the potential to reduce SIDS risk as well as reduce the risk for SUID.

International studies

In 1992, after several international studies showed that SIDS rates were lower in societies in which infants were place for sleep on their backs, the AAP recommended that all healthy U.S. infants be placed to sleep on their backs.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also expressed support for the new recommendations -- and cautioned parents to be aware that there are no federally approved or recommended products that have been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS.

"Parents and caregivers should beware of products that make SIDS prevention claims because the FDA has never cleared or approved a device to prevent SIDS or reduce the risk of SIDS," said Susan Cummins, M.D., M.P.H., chief pediatric medical officer at FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.