SAFE SLEEP FAST FACTS
- Before 1992, 8,000 to 10,000 babies died every year due to sleep-related causes, such as SIDS and suffocation.
- Infant Sleep-related deaths declined by 50% once parents began placing their babies on their back to sleep instead of on their tummy.
- Each year, approximately 3,500 babies die due to SIDS and unsafe sleep in the United States.
- Safe Sleep prevents infant sleep-related deaths due to suffocation and reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
- The best way to protect your baby from suffocation and reduce the risk of SIDS is to practice safe infant sleep and create a safe sleeping environment.
Continue reading below to learn more…
What is SUID, SIDS, and Suffocation?
SUID, SIDS, and suffocation are terms used to describe risks related to a baby’s sleep.
SUID (Sudden Unexpected Infant Death) means the sudden, unexpected death of a baby under one year old, often during sleep. This is an umbrella term that includes the following causes of death: SIDS, suffocation, and unknown.
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is when a baby dies during sleep and no cause can be found, even after a thorough investigation.
Suffocation happens when a baby’s breathing is blocked, like by soft bedding, a pillow, or someone rolling onto them while they sleep.
The good news is you can reduce these risks by following safe sleep practices, like placing your baby on their back in a crib with a firm mattress and no extra blankets or toys.
Triple Risk Model & Risk Factors for Sleep-Related Death
(adapted from Filiano & Kinney, 1994)
When experts talk about SIDS, they often speak about the Triple Risk Model for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The model explains that there are three factors that must come together for SIDS to happen.
1. Vulnerable Baby: Some babies are born with conditions that make them more likely to die from SIDS.
Factors that can create a vulnerable infant are:
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- Prenatal cigarette, vape, or marijuana smoke exposure
- Prenatal drug and alcohol exposure
- Prematurity
- Low birth weight
- Brainstem dysfunction
- Late or no maternal prenatal care
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2. Critical Development Period: Babies are most at risk between birth and 1 year old, especially around 1 to 4 months, when they’re still developing the ability to regulate their body.
3. External Factors: This is something that can interfere with the baby’s ability to breathe or sleep safely.
Factors that become external stressors:
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- Tummy sleep position
- Soft bedding
- Overheating
- Bed sharing
- Smoke exposure in sleeping environment
- Parental Alcohol & Drug Use leading to unsafe sleeping practices
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When all three of these things happen at the same time, it increases the risk of SIDS.
While we cannot influence or change the baby’s vulnerability once they are born, or the age of the child, we can change the external stressors. When we practice infant safe sleep, we remove the external stressors from the equation, which reduces the risk of SIDS and suffocation.
Creating A Safe Sleeping Environment
Creating a safe sleeping environment is the best way to protect your baby from suffocation and to reduce your baby’s risk of SIDS.
One of the simplest ways to remember how to create a Safe Sleep Environment is to memorize the ABCs of Safe Sleep. Hover over or tap on each card below to learn about each of the ABCs.
12 Steps for Safe Sleep
Follow these 12 Steps for the First 12 Months
Cribs for Kids also developed the 12 Steps for Safe Sleep based upon the American Academy of Pediatrics 2022 safe sleep recommendations. Read through the rest of our Safe Sleep Academy to learn about each of the 12 steps and why they are recommended.
Creating A Safe Sleeping Environment
Creating a safe sleeping environment is the best way to protect your baby from suffocation and to reduce your baby’s risk of SIDS.
One of the simplest ways to remember how to create a Safe Sleep Environment is to memorize the ABCs of Safe Sleep.
is for Alone
Alone means that there should be nothing and no one in your baby’s sleep space. “Nothing” means no pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, or pets. The only things in your baby’s sleep space should be a tight-fitted sheet and a pacifier without any attachments, if your baby uses one.
No one means that your baby should not sleep with an adult, sibling, or pet. Surface sharing with a baby increases the risk of death due to overlay.
is for Back
Baby should always sleep on their back. Infant Sleep-related deaths declined by 50% once parents began placing their babies on their back to sleep instead of on their tummy.
is for Crib
Babies should only sleep in a safety-approved bassinet, play-yard, or crib. Babies should never sleep in an adult bed or on a couch. The baby’s sleep environment should be firm and flat. Car seats, swings, and other inclined sitting devices are not safe for sleep.
Cribs for Kids also developed the 12 Steps for Safe Sleep based upon the American Academy of Pediatrics 2022 safe sleep recommendations. Read through the rest of our Safe Sleep Academy to learn about each of the 12 steps and why they are recommended.
Key Terminology
Below is a list of words that you may see throughout this website.
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) – The American Academy of Pediatrics is a group of doctors and health experts who help families take care of children’s health and safety.
They give advice about the best ways to keep babies safe, including safe sleep guidelines.
Asphyxiation (also appears as “Asphyxia”) – Asphyxiation is when a person cannot get enough oxygen to their body because their breathing is blocked or slowed down.
Aspiration – Aspiration is when something, like food, liquid, or vomit, accidentally goes into the lungs instead of the stomach, which can make it hard to breathe.
Bed Sharing (also appears as Surface Sharing) – Bed sharing is when a baby sleeps in the same bed as their caregiver. Surface Sharing refers to other surfaces besides a bed that a caregiver and baby may share such as a couch. The AAP recommends against bed-sharing because it increases the risk of suffocation and SIDS. Room sharing is the safest alternative to bed sharing. On other websites, articles, or videos, bed sharing may be referred to as “Co-Sleeping”.
Entrapment – Entrapment means a person is stuck in a space where they cannot move or breathe properly, like when a baby gets trapped between a mattress and a wall or other furniture.
Overlay – Overlay is when a caregiver, sibling, or pet is surface sharing with a child and rolls on top of child leading to suffocation.
Room Sharing – Room sharing is when baby sleeps in the same room as their caregiver but in their own separate space, like a crib or bassinet.
Strangulation – A preventable type of SUID that happens when a baby is accidentally smothered by someone else, like a caregiver rolling onto them while bed-sharing.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) – Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is when a healthy baby under one year old dies suddenly during sleep with no clear cause, even after a thorough investigation by police, medical examiners, and doctors.
Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) – Sudden Unexpected Infant Death is an umbrella term. SUID is when a baby dies under one year old dies suddenly without warning. It can happen for different reasons, like suffocation or SIDS.
Suffocation – Suffocation happens when a baby cannot breathe because something is covering their nose and mouth or blocking their airway, which can stop oxygen from getting to the body. This may be due to hazards like soft bedding, pillows, or someone accidentally rolling onto them during sleep.