Flashes of colder air in the spring pose a higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome, doctors warn.
Over-wrapping can lead to overheating of newborns ? one of several risk factors for SIDS, said sleep specialist Dr. Ann Halbower, director of the Children?s Center Sleep Disorders Program.
“In my practice, I often find that new parents haven?t been told about all the risk factors for SIDS, how to properly put their baby to sleep or that they should never over-swaddle,” she said. “It?s a conversation that?s just not happening often enough. …”
SIDS cases have dropped by more than 50 percent since 2001 in Maryland, but the condition claimed the lives of 15 babies in 2005, the last year for which data is available from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
According to the medical examiner?s office, seven SIDS deaths happened in the third month of life in 2005, with only one death happening after 6 months of age.
In many cases, doctors believe undeveloped breathing and heart rhythms cannot handle additional stresses during sleep, such as overheating or heavy blankets, according to the CDC. Additional deaths may occur when instincts that cause older children to pull back from smothering soft cloths or stuffed animals do not trigger a response in infants.
While doctors have not defined what causes SIDS, they agree on some risk factors.
“SIDS is the sudden death of an infant less than 1 year of age that cannot be explained by information collected during a thorough investigation,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.
Although the overall rate of SIDS in the United States dropped more than 50 percent since 1990, minority infants still face a higher risk, the CDC reports. SIDS is the third-leading cause of infant mortality in the United States and the main cause of death among those 6 months and under.
