Prevention
1. Place your baby on his or her back to sleep at nighttime and naptime
2. Place your baby on a firm mattress, such as in a safety-approved crib
3. Remove all fluffy and loose bedding from the sleep area
4. Make sure your baby’s head and face stay uncovered during sleep
5. Don’t smoke before or after the birth of your baby (maternal smoking during pregnancy is estimated to double the risk of SIDS)
6. Don’t let your baby overheat during sleep

Facts about SIDS
1. SIDS is the leading cause of death in babies after 1 month of age
2. Most SIDS deaths occur in babies who are between 2 and 4 months of age
3. More SIDS deaths occur in colder months
4. Babies placed to sleep on their stomachs are much more likely to die of SIDS than babies placed on their backs to sleep.
5. African American babies are twice as likely to die of SIDS than white babies. American Indian babies are nearly three times more likely to die of SIDS than white babies

Statistics

Number of SIDS deaths by race (for 2003):

	Race	# of deaths	Rate
	White	1,246	38.6
	Black	656	109.5
	Hispanic	245	26.9

Note: 20% of SIDS deaths occur at childcare facilities. These stats are preliminary. The numbers increase almost 20% for SIDS.

Visit this site for current research:
http://www.sids.org/nresearchproj.htm