Protect Your Baby from Sudden Death While Sleeping

Jackson, Miss. — Sleep-related deaths are the third-leading cause of infant death in Mississippi, and about 1 in 5 occur while an infant is being cared for by someone other than a parent. During National Safe Sleep and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month, the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is cautioning parents about the practices that contribute to these avoidable deaths and recommending steps to take to ensure our babies live to see another day.

Between 2022 and 2024, 184 Mississippi infants died from SIDS (also known as crib death) and other sleep-related causes such as accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed. While putting infants to sleep on their stomachs was once a common practice, we now know that babies have a much higher risk of dying when they sleep on their stomachs. You can lower your baby's risk by taking the following steps.

• Put babies to sleep alone, on their backs, in a crib – every nap, every night.
• Use a firm crib mattress covered by a fitted sheet.
• Don't put pillows, blankets, bumpers, loose bedding or stuffed animals in their cribs.
• Don't let your baby sleep in an adult bed, on a couch, or on a chair — alone, with you, or with anyone else — due to the danger of accidental suffocation.
• Don't allow your infant to get too hot during sleep. Infants should be lightly clothed, and the bedroom temperature should be comfortable for a lightly clothed adult. Use a sleep sack or similar sleepwear instead of blankets to help keep your baby warm and safe.
• Give your baby a dry pacifier that is not attached to a string for naps and at night.
• Breastfeed your baby. If you bring your baby into your bed to breastfeed, put him or her back in a separate sleep area, such as a safety-approved crib, when you are finished.
• Do not smoke while pregnant or around your baby and never allow others to smoke around your infant. If you need help quitting, text QUIT to 47848.

Grandparents and all other caregivers should also follow these recommendations. That's why MSDH launched the “Protect & Prepare: A Grandparent's Guide” campaign in August to educate all caregivers about changes to infant safety guidelines since raising their own children.

Your baby is counting on you to keep them safe. Learn more about infant sleep safety at msdh.ms.gov/safesleep