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Cot Death
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Cot death is defined as "the sudden death of a infant or young child which is unexpected by history and in which a thorough post mortem examination fails to demonstrate an adequate cause for death".
The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) offers the following advice for parents to reduce the risk of cot death:
- Cut smoking in pregnancy - fathers too! And don't let anyone smoke in the same room as your baby.
- Place your baby on their back to sleep (and not on the front or side).
- Do not let your baby get too hot, and keep your baby's head uncovered.
- Place your baby with their feet to the foot of the cot, to prevent them wriggling down under the covers.
- Never sleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair.
- The safest place for your baby to sleep is in a crib or cot in a room with you for the first six months.
- Consult a doctor if your baby seems unwell.
Sleeping with your baby in your bed with you is not recommended. It's especially dangerous for your baby to sleep in your bed if you or your partner:
- are a smoker, even if you never smoke in bed or at home
- have been drinking alcohol
- take medication or drugs that make you drowsy
- feel very tired; or if your baby:
- was born before 37 weeks
- weighed less than 2.5kg or 5˝ lbs at birth
- is less than three months old.
If you share your bed with your baby don't forget, accidents can happen; you might roll over in your sleep and suffocate your baby; or your baby could get caught between the wall and the bed, or could roll out of an adult bed and be injured.
Most cot deaths occur when the baby is under the age of six months, and can happen anywhere, not only in a cot, so these precautions should be taken whenever your child sleeps, for example in a car seat, bouncing chair or in your arms.
It is also advised that settling your baby to sleep with a dummy can reduce the risk of cot death, even if the dummy falls out while your baby is asleep. You can also reduce the risk by breastfeeding your baby, however you should always establish breastfeeding before starting to use a dummy.
If you have been affected by Cot Death, Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths offer a helpline for parents, carers and health professionals and bereaved families, a network of trained befrienders to support bereaved families and a Care of Next Infant (CONI) Scheme, with the NHS, to support bereaved families when they have subsequent babies.
You can also contact The Scottish Cot Death Trust, who also offer help to all those affected by cot death.
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