How to put baby to sleep to avoid risk of cot death

Concerns new parents are not aware of the danger

AROUND 250 babies and toddlers still die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome every year.

Neither disease nor illness, SIDS is the diagnosis given and cause of death recorded when a baby under one year of age dies unexpectedly, and when no medical reason can be pinpointed.

In spite of ongoing research and an increased awareness of preventative measures, SIDS can occur without warning .

To help make parents further aware of the basic steps they can take to reduce the risk of SIDS, the Lullaby Trust have released a warning about the position a baby is put down to sleep in.

The charity’s advice came after the discovery that one in four parents believed it was safe for their little ones sleep on their sides.

The Lullaby Trust guidelines state babies should always be put to sleep on their backs, following research which found babies were far less likely to die if they sleep on their backs.

Although nearly all of the parents surveyed by the charity had heard of SIDS, almost a quarter neither agreed nor disagreed with whether a baby should sleep on their back.

Babies should also be put in the ‘feet to foot’ position to avoid the increased risk of SIDS due to overheating or suffocation should their head get covered by their bedding.

The ‘feet to foot’ position can prevent against this by stopping your baby from wriggling under the cover.

You simply place them so their feet are at the bottom of the cot, bassinet or crib and tuck the covers firmly around them.

SIDS made the news in 1991 after TV star Anne Diamond tragically lost her baby son Sebastian.

Anne went on to launch the Back to Sleep campaign, following research showing that babies were far less likely to die if they were put to sleep on their backs. THINGS TO AVOID:

sleep on a sofa or in an armchair with your baby

sleep in the same bed as your baby if you smoke, drink or take drugs or are extremely tired, if your baby was born prematurely or was of low birth-weight letting your baby get too hot cover your baby’s face or head while sleeping or use loose bedding THINGS YOU CAN DO: place your baby on their back to sleep your baby smoke free during pregnancy and after birth your baby to sleep in a separate cot or Moses basket in the same room as you for the first six months your baby a firm, flat, waterproof mattress in good condition.