October is Safe Sleep Month and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month, a time to promote healthy sleeping habits for newborns and raise awareness about sleep-related risks to infants.
SIDS, the unexplained death of a seemingly healthy baby, usually during sleep, is one of the leading causes of death for infants less than a year old in Alaska. SIDS accounts for 11% of all infant deaths in the state (2016-2018 average), and while that number is slowly decreasing each year, more work is needed to reduce the risks of SIDS.
Safe to Sleep® Resources
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently created the Safe to Sleep® campaign to raise awareness of SIDS and safe sleep nationally.
Check out these updated resources for families and early childhood education programs:
- Safe Sleep for Your Baby: Reduce the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Other Sleep-Related Causes of Infant Death: This 12-page brochure explains ways to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death | En español
- What Does A Safe Sleep Environment Look Like?: Images showing a safe infant sleep environment | En español
- 2021 SIDS Awareness Month Toolkit: Features new safe sleep resources and messaging to help early education programs plan and share information through October, including weekly safe sleep themes, flyers and more. Click here to download.
Other Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About SIDS and Safe Infant Sleep (NIH)
- How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe (American Academy of Pediatrics)
- 2019 SIDS and SUID Death Rate Data (CDC)