Risky Infant Sleep Practices Still Common

Many parents are still following infant sleep practices that could put their babies at risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), two new studies conclude. One study looked at survey data for nearly 400,000 infants. About two-thirds of the babies born at term were put to sleep on their backs. This position reduces the risk of SIDS. Preterm babies, born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, have a higher risk of SIDS than those born at term. But the survey showed they were less likely than full-term infants to be put on their backs to sleep (60% to 63%). The second study included 1,250 mothers of babies 2 months to 6 months old. They were interviewed about sleep practices for their babies. Overall, 72% of the babies were put to sleep on their backs. But 22% of black mothers put babies to sleep on their stomachs. About 28% of Hispanic mothers put the baby to sleep in the parents’ bed.