A new recommendation from pediatricians says that to avoid Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), parents and their infants should sleep in the same room but not in the same bed.
The American Academy of Pediatrics made the statement in a new report updating the recommendations related to SIDS for the first time since 2011. Other recommendations, such as putting infants to sleep on their backs and keeping soft bedding, toys, and pillows out of the sleeping area, remain unchanged in the update.
Specifically, the AAP recommended infants sleep in the same room, but not in the same bed, with parents until at least 6 months of age and optimally for the first year.
Approximately 1,400 babies die from SIDS each year in the United States, the AAP reported.
Room-sharing decreases the risk of SIDS by up to 50 percent, AAP stated, although a reason for the decrease is not given.
"The whole phenomenon of SIDS implies that we don’t know 100 percent what is responsible for the death, but we have theories," said report co-author Dr. Lori Feldman-Winter, according to CNN.
Some researchers think the baby’s brain may not be sufficiently developed to regulate breathing when soft furnishings are in front of the nose and mouth, while others think genetics or physical traits are responsible. The highest risk of SIDS is between 1 and 4 months old, but soft bedding can still be a hazard for babies 4 months and older.
Deaths from SIDS declined during the 1990s when safe sleep campaigns were started, but rates have leveled off since then. Pediatricians and researchers are hopeful these new recommendations will lead to more decreases in the future.
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