SIDS risk goes up during cold weather

By Rita Colorito
Monday, December 13, 2010

Each year Sudden Infant Death Syndrome claims the lives of 2,300 infants under age 1. While the causes of SIDS are still unknown, the National Institutes of Health warn of a higher risk of this silent killer during colder months.

Infants cannot regulate their body temperatures well and studies have shown that overbundling infants may cause them to overheat, increasing their risk of SIDS. Infants who are in danger of overheating feel hot to the touch, according to an NIH alert.

"Parents and caregivers should dress infants in light clothing for sleep and keep rooms at a temperature comfortable for adults," says Dr. Alan E. Guttmacher, director of the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. "The single most effective way to reduce the risk of SIDS is always place infants to sleep on their backs, for naps and at night."

This article appeared in the January 2011 edition of Chicago Parent.