Pregnancy & Baby 

Advertisement

Reduce the risk of cot death

Sadly, eight babies die suddenly and unexpectedly in the UK every week.The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths suggest ways to reduce the risk for your baby

Cot death is rare but it does happen. The good news is that parents can take steps to reduce the risk to their baby. Since the launch of the Reduce the Risk of Cot Death campaign in 1991, the number of babies dying suddenly and unexpectedly has fallen by 70%.

Key reminders

• Place your baby on his or her back to sleep. If you find that your baby has rolled onto their tummy, turn them onto their back again and tuck them in, but don't feel you have to get up all night to check. At about five or six months it is normal for babies to roll over but still put them to sleep on their backs to start with. Some parents worry that their baby is more likely to choke on vomit if they’re on their back but this is not so.
• Keep your baby smoke-free. It is best to start early, so cut smoking in pregnancy, and that means fathers too. Statistics show that if both parents smoke during the pregnancy then the cot death risk increases by eight times. When your baby is born, you will need to keep any room that they enter smoke-free. You should ask friends or relatives to smoke outside.
• Do not let your baby get too hot. Babies can overheat with too much bedding, or because the room is too hot. The ideal room temperature is between 16-20 degrees - cooler than most people think. This is right for a baby wearing a vest, nappy and babygrow with a sheet and two blankets. If the room is hotter, your baby may need fewer blankets.

Delicious     Digg     reddit     Facebook     StumbleUpon

  Get the latest iVillage news on your desktop    Sign up for more iVillage RSS feeds

© iVillage Limited 2000-2008. All rights reserved. | © iVillage inc. 1995-2008. All rights reserved.
iVillage Ltd is a UK company registered in England & Wales (3837269) at 80-110 New Oxford Street, London WC1 1HB