Now I lay me down to sleep: SIDS and infant sleep positions

Abstract

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the primary cause of infant death outside the neonatal period. The etiology of SIDS has been studied extensively but remains unclear. In 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) responded to international research that suggested an association between SIDS and prone sleeping patterns. Controversial guidelines on infant sleep position were issued at this time, advocating supine or sidelying positions. The AAP modified their initial guidelines in 1996, recommending supine as the preferred sleep position during infancy. The AAP stressed that both sidelying and supine positions place an infant at less risk for SIDS than the prone position, but that supine offered the lowest risk of SIDS. The AAP reaffirmed that these guidelines were intended for healthy newborns only, and also modified some of the original recommendations to reflect the latest research on SIDS. This article provides a brief overview of SIDS and the events leading to the current AAP stance on infant positioning. Parent education is addressed, with specific recommendations for discharge teaching.