This episode is designed to give students an approach to sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. SIDS is the leading cause of post-neonatal infant death. Learn about the incidence, risk factors, as well as prevention of this complex multifactorial disorder. This podcast was develop by Ashlee Yang, a medical student at the University of Alberta with the help of Dr. Melanie Lewis, a general pediatrician and Professor at the University of Alberta and Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Dr Lewis:
How do we prevent SIDS and counsel parents?
Currently, no effective way exists to screen in early infancy for intrinsic or genetic abnormalities that increase the risk for SIDS. However, there are strategies to reduce the risk of SIDS, such
as receiving regular prenatal care and creating a safe sleep and home environment.Here is some advice you can provide to parents:
1. Seek prenatal care early and follow up regularly.
2. Stop or reduce smoking during pregnancy. After the baby is born, avoid smoking inside the house and around the baby.
3. Breastfeeding is encouraged as it reduces risk for SIDS and has other health benefits.
4. “Back to sleep, front to play” is an important phrase to remember– place the baby on his or her back when sleeping or napping, not on their front or side. Supervised “tummy time” or playtime in prone position while awake is good. 5. For babies under 6 months of age, room sharing is encouraged but bed sharing should be avoided. Babies should sleep in their own crib, preferably in the same room as parents. Do not place the baby in a bed, sofa or chair with other children.
6. Use a flat, firm surface for sleep. Babies can turn onto their stomach or side and bury their face in these soft materials, causing them to suffocate. Pillows, air mattresses, couches/sofas or soft materials are not safe sleep surfaces.
7. Playpens and car seats are not safe alternatives to a crib for supervised sleep.
8. Keep loose or soft bedding materials such as stuffed animals, comforters, pillows, bumper pads etc. out of the sleep environment.
9. Avoid overheating and over bundling…Dress the baby lightly and set the room at a comfortable temperature. If swaddling, make sure the airway is clear and there is
enough room for legs to move.Related Content:
Follow Tom On:
Categories
-
Recent Posts
- Danger: Infant Botulism Caused By Infant Formula-NY Times Article And A Link To The CDC’s Clinical Overview of Infant Botulism
- Linking To And Embedding Metabolic Mind’s “Why Setbacks Can Happen with Ketogenic Therapy for Mental Illness — and How to Respond”
- Linking To And Excerpting From Neurologist Dr Matthew CL Phillips’ Metabolic Therapy Program (MTP) [a time-restricted ketogenic diet]
- EMC’s “Ep 208 Paradigm Shift in Ischemic Stroke Management Part 1: Disabling Strokes”
- Links To Substack’s Ten Videos On Podcasting
- Linking To And Embedding The Video “How To Sell Digital Products Directly From Substack!”
- Results Of A Google Search: Direct Primary Care
- Linking To And Embedding Dr Anders Sørensen’s Substack Post “How to Taper Antidepressants: Understand the Hyperbolic Curve Before It Hits You”
- Linking To And Excerpting From “Trends in clinical studies evaluating neurofilament light chain as a biomarker”
- Linking To And Excerpting From Dr. Norwitz’ Video “What I’m Doing to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease After Seeing this New Harvard Study”
- Linking To And Excerpting From “The Ketogenic Diet As A Potential Treatment And Prevention Strategy For Alzheimer’s Disease”
- Linking To And Embedding Neurogal MD’s “Can Lithium Prevent Alzheimer’s? | Neurologist Explains New 2025 Study”
- Linking To And Embedding Neurogal MD’s “Lithium | Neurologist Reviews Evidence and Top Brands”
- Linking To And Embedding Metabolic Mind’s “Fasting and Ketosis to treat Dementia With Dr. Matthew Phillips”
- Linking To And Excerpting From Investigating the Therapeutic Potential of the Ketogenic Diet in Modulating Neurodegenerative Pathophysiology: An Interdisciplinary Approach”
- Linking To And Excerpting From “Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease: 2025 ACC Scientific Statement: A Report of the American College of Cardiology”
- Introduction To Substack From Solo Shannon: Is Substack the Secret to Earning Online if You’re Over 50?
- Linking To The National Cancer Institute’s “PDQ® Cancer Information for Health Professionals”
- Linking To The National Cancer Institute’s Dictionary of Cancer Terms
- YouTube Review of The Echonous Scanner
- Linking To The UNC School Of Medicine Department Of Medicine’s “Rapid Response Guide” With Links To Additional Resources
- Linking To And Excerpting From Frontiers In Nutrition’s “TOWARD, a metabolic health intervention, demonstrates robust 1-year weight loss and cost-savings through deprescription”
- Linking To The National Cancer Institute’s “Prostate Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version”
- Linking To And Embedding Metabolic Mind’s “Can Ketogenic Therapy Beat Ozempic? Study Shows Affordable, Sustainable Weight Loss”
- Linking To And Excerpting From Critical Care’s “Diagnostic accuracy of multi-organ point-of-care ultrasound for pulmonary embolism in critically ill patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis”
- YouTube Video From Howfinity On ” How to Use Reddit – Complete Beginner’s Guide”
- Embedding Awesome Ultrasound’s “[Ultrasound Lecture] How to Scan the Appendix – Principles (Part 1)” And “Part 2: How to Scan the Appendix – Live Demonstrations”
- Reviewing And Embedding Dr Chris Fox’s Video On Establishing An Undergraduate Medical School Ultrasound Program At UC Irvine
- Embedding Indiana University School Of Medicine POCUS’ “Small Bowel Ultrasound”
- Linking To And Embedding Radiology Lectures’ “047 Imaging of Back Pain in the Emergency Department Freemedbooks.com”