A recent SIDS risk study revealed that despite "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome" being the worst nightmare for parents, many are still ignoring guidelines and allowing their infants to sleep with extra unnecessary bedding. The SIDS risk study reportedly showed that putting these bedding adds additional risk for sudden death to babies.
Parents fear SIDS. However, they are not as informed as they should be about it. This new finding is according to a recent SIDS risk study by the National Institutes of Health, reported online Dec. 1 in the journal, "Pediatrics," according to Health Day.
Researchers from the Institute are reportedly desperate to get the interest of parents who are dismissing important guidelines regarding SIDS.
The SIDS risk study from the NIH are warning parents to be help them be better informed about the dangers of adding extra blankets and pillows to their infants cribs.
Soft bedding, used either over or under the baby, as well as blankets, crib bumpers, soft toys, quits, and pillows, are the main causes of SIDS, reports Hollywood Life.
The researchers of the SIDS risk study found that about 70 percent of infants sleeping with soft bedding were on adult beds. Some of them also shared a sleeping surface with someone else, most likely parents.
"Soft bedding has been shown to increase the risk of SIDS. Soft objects and loose bedding -- such as thick blankets, quilts and pillows -- can obstruct an infant's airway and impose suffocation risk," according to lead author Carrie Shapiro-Mendoza, a senior scientist in the Maternal and Infant Health Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The SIDS risk study was the product of polling of over 20,000 parents for the past 17 years, reports CBS News.
In 1993, almost 7 out of 8 parents or babysitters used blankets or other soft bedding for infants. By 2010, the numbers dropped sharply. However, more than half still kept doing the same. The SIDS risk study also found that of the parents, most common were young mothers, blacks and Hispanics.
The research was prompted by the fact that accidental suffocation in bed has been the leading cause of injury-related deaths among infants.
SIDS deaths may have declined in recent years. However, about 2,000 still died in 2010. In the same year, the suffocation rate doubled from 2000, while about 640 infants died from accidental sleep-related suffocation, government data show, according to the Associated Press.
These infant deaths "are tragic and they're just not necessary," said Marian Willinger, the SIDS risk study's co-author and an expert at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
As an alternative to the blankets, researchers suggest that to keep infants warm and comfortable, one-piece pajamas are best, as well as keeping the room at an even and comfortable temperature.
It's also just as important to remember to put the baby to sleep on their back, said researchers of the SIDS risk study. These methods reportedly helped contribute to the decline of SIDS over the years.
The SIDS risk study revealed much about the deadly syndrome and more parents are now aware. More information and guidelines about the dangers of SIDS are available at ChildrensNational.org.
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