What is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)? And Should I Be Worried about SIDS?

March 31, 2023

I’ve heard about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Is it something I should be worried about for my infant? What can I do to protect my child?

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is real. Beyond that, it’s the most common cause of death for babies in the U.S. But there might be some mixed messages out there about SIDS.

Here are a few things to know:

The exact cause of SIDS is not quite known.
As a whole, SIDS includes disturbances of regular breathing during sleep.
SIDS occurs most often during the first and four months of a baby’s life.
External stressors such as tobacco smoke, overheating, and sleeping facedown can have negative impacts.

Here are a few things you can do to prevent SIDS for your baby:

Stay away from cigarettes or allowing anyone to smoke in your home after your baby is born.
Lay your baby down on his or her back as often as possible unless your baby is premature or based on other recommendations from your pediatrician. Monitor if he or she flips over in the middle of sleeping too.
When your baby is asleep, make sure he or she is surrounded by safe surfaces, pillows, and sheets or blankets. Also, don’t overwrap or bundle your baby before sleep.

Taking care of a newborn can be equally exciting and frightening. For more insight and guidance in raising your newborn, check out our resources here.

About the Author

Danny Huerta, Vice President of the Parenting and Youth at Focus on the Family

Danny Huerta, PsyD, MSW, LCSW, LSSW

Vice President, Parenting and Youth

Dr. Huerta oversees Focus’ initiatives that equip mothers and fathers with biblical and research based principles and guidance for raising healthy, resilient children rooted in a thriving faith in Christ.

Dr. Huerta is a bilingual psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, author of 7 Traits of Effective Parenting, and co-author of Focus on the Family’s Age and Stage resource, and various other resources. He is also the co-host and expert on the Focus on Parenting and the Practice Makes Parent podcasts.

For many years, he has provided families with practical, biblically-based, and research-based parenting advice on key parenting topics. He has been interviewed by various media outlets including Fox News, Fatherly, Christianity Today, WORLD Magazine, The Christian Post and CBN, and regularly speaks on Christian radio stations and podcasts across the United States. He’s also written for various publications and is a regular speaker at retreats, conventions, family camps, online events worldwide, and on various social media channels.

Dr. Huerta has maintained a private practice serving families in Colorado Springs since 2003 and has also served families as an employee of Focus on the Family since 2004.

He and his wife, Heather, love the outdoors, have been married since 1997, and love spending time with their two adult children.

More by Danny Huerta, PsyD, MSW, LCSW, LSSW

About the Author

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