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Each year in the United States, thousands of babies die suddenly and unexpectedly. Some of these deaths result from unknown causes, such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), while others are from known causes, including other sleep-related causes of infant death. We want all Chatham County parents to have the resources they need to make sure their little ones sleep safe.

SIDS is the sudden, unexpected death—that doesn’t have a known cause even after a full investigation—of a baby between 1 month and 1 year of age. About half of the sudden, unexpected infant deaths that occur in the United States each year are from SIDS.

Other sleep-related causes of infant death are those related to how or where a baby slept. These can include accidental:

• Suffocation: when something, such as a pillow, or someone covers the baby’s face and nose, blocking the ability to breathe
• Entrapment: when the baby gets trapped between two objects, such as a mattress and a wall, and the position of their body makes them unable to breathe.
• Strangulation: when something presses on or wraps around the baby’s neck, blocking baby’s airway

How do I know my baby is sleeping safely?

Check out these tips from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development:

• Always place baby on his or her back to sleep -- for naps and at night. This has proven to be the best way to protect a baby's airways.
• Use a firm and flat sleep surface, such as a mattress in a safety-approved crib, covered by a fitted sheet with no other bedding or soft items in the sleep area.
• Do not put soft objects, toys, crib bumpers, or loose bedding under your baby, over your baby, or anywhere in your baby's sleep area.
• If your baby uses a pacifier during naps and nighttime, do not attach the pacifier to anything that carries a risk for suffocation, choking or strangulation.

FOR MORE: Safe Sleep for Your Baby (NICHD)

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Check your knowledge by evaluating the babies above. Which babies are sleeping safely? Which ones are not?

Baby 1: Baby #1 is in an unsafe sleep environment. While he is not covered by a blanket or holding onto a toy, and he is sleeping on his back, that cap with the long tail could cause a choking or strangulation hazard.

Baby 2: Baby #2 is not in the best sleeping position. Best safe sleep practices involve a baby lying flat on their back until they are able to roll over by themselves.

Baby 3: Baby #3 is not safe because of the stuffed animal. Keeping soft objects like toys, blankets, and rattlers out of a crib can reduce the risk of suffocation, entrapment, and strangulation.

Baby 4: Baby #4 is in the best sleeping position for little ones. He is flat on his back in a crib with no loose bedding or toys.

Other Ways to Reduce the Risk of SIDS

There is no sure way to prevent SIDS, but parents and caregivers can take additional steps to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death:

• Breastfeed your baby: Babies who breastfeed, or are fed breastmilk, are at lower risk for SIDS than babies who were never fed breastmilk. The longer a baby is exclusively breastfed or
  fed breastmilk, the lower the risk.
• Share your room with baby: Keep baby in your room close to your bed, but on a separate surface designed for infants, ideally for baby’s first year, but at least for the first 6 months.
• Do not smoke during pregnancy, and do not smoke or allow smoking around your baby or in your baby’s environment. Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol, and using marijuana and illegal drugs during pregnancy and after the baby is born.
• Follow guidance from your health care provider on your baby’s vaccines and regular health checkups. Vaccines not only protect baby’s health, but research shows that vaccinated babies are at lower risk for SIDS.
• Think about giving your baby a pacifier for naps and nighttime sleep to reduce the risk of SIDS. If the pacifier falls out of baby’s mouth during sleep, there is no need to put the pacifier back in. Pacifiers reduce the risk of SIDS for all babies, including breastfed babies.

A Note About SIDS Prevention Claims

The FDA cautions parents and caregivers against purchasing baby products with claims to prevent or reduce the chance of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). These baby products can pose a risk of serious injury to a baby, including the risk of suffocation. Common baby products with these claims include:

• Infant sleep positioners - using this type of product to hold an infant on his or her side or back is dangerous and unnecessary,
• baby monitors,
• mattresses,
• crib tents,
• pillows,
• crib bedding, including bumpers and blankets

Recommendations for Parents / Caregivers About the Use of Baby Products (FDA)

More Resources

• Safe Sleep North Carolina
• What Does a Safe Sleep Environment Look Like? (NICHD)
• 2022 American Academy of Pediatrics Safe Sleep Guidelines (Cribs for Kids)

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Group

UNC Healthcare sponsors a free support group for all parents who have experienced a pregnancy or early infant loss and their support people. The group meets the first Thursday of each month from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Chapel Hill. See the group brochure for more information.

This webpage is a product of the Chatham County Child Fatality Prevention Team, the Chatham County Public Health Department, and the Chatham County Department of Social Services.