Each year, more than 3,000 infants die from sudden and unexpected causes in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than 1,000 of these infant deaths are typically due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). That could be an underestimate because investigators cannot always find the cause of death.
Find out what may be endangering your baby—and learn steps you can take to reduce the risk of SIDS.
SIDS risk factors
While some cases of SIDS-related death have no apparent cause, the vast majority are associated with one or more risk factors. Many of these risk factors are preventable. They include:
- Smoking or alcohol or drug use during pregnancy
- Age of mother under 20 years
- Late or no prenatal care
- Preterm birth or low birth weight
- Putting baby to sleep on their stomach
- Placing baby on a soft surface or in dangerous settings
- Sharing a bed with parents
- Overheating
Ways to reduce SIDS risk
If you have a baby under the age of 1 (or are about to have a baby), there are several measures you can take to help reduce the risk of SIDS:
Set your baby to sleep on their back
Generations ago, babies slept on their stomachs—and the rate of SIDS was double that of today. In the 1990s, guidelines changed in favor of putting babies to sleep on their backs, rather than their stomachs or sides, which increase the risk of SIDS. Following the simple mantra “back to sleep” cuts the risk of SIDS by over 50 percent.
Co-room, don’t co-sleep
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated its recommendations for SIDS prevention over the years. Among the changes: Have your baby sleep in your room. This reduces their risk of SIDS by up to 50 percent. Just be sure they’re sleeping in an appropriate area, and not in your bed. Having a baby sleep with you in your bed significantly increases the risk of SIDS.
The safest option is to place a Consumer Product Safety Commission-approved bassinet by your bed, where baby is within arm’s reach but safely out of harm.
Remove everything from the sleep area
It can be tempting for parents to put their children to sleep in a crib with unsafe items such as bedding, bumper pads, pillows, stuffed animals, and sleep positioners. But between 2020 and 2024, most explained infant deaths were linked to soft or loose bedding, according to data from the CDC. Even supposedly “safe” items have been associated with infant deaths.
Unless there’s an item your pediatrician explicitly says you must have in the crib, leave it out. Manufacturers who sell these items are taking advantage of parents’ fears and countering the guidance from the AAP.
Use a simple, fitted sheet to cover the mattress and be sure the sleeping surface is flat and firm. That means the mattress should quickly return to its original shape when pressed.
Use a wearable blanket and swaddle only up to a certain age
Wearable blankets are safer than loose blankets in the crib. If you’re swaddling your infant, make sure to only place them on their back. As soon as your baby shows any signs of attempting to roll, stop using the swaddle, which can become a potential risk factor once your baby is more mobile.
Consider a pacifier
If your baby likes the soothing effect of a pacifier at bedtime, it's okay to use. It's not fully understood why, but research has shown that pacifiers at bedtime can reduce the risk of SIDS. Just be sure not to use a pacifier “leash,” which could become a suffocation hazard.
Breastfeed
Nursing or feeding your baby pumped milk lowers the risk of SIDS, among other benefits. Research suggests breastfeeding even for two months can significantly reduce risk. The longer your baby is exclusively breastfed without adding formula or solid food, the lower their risk of SIDS may be.
While many parents can do this, others cannot for a variety of reasons. Even if you can’t breastfeed for the longer term, a little bit is better than none.
Don’t smoke or vape
Smoke exposure during pregnancy and after birth are major risk factors for SIDS, particularly when baby shares a bed with an adult smoker—even if that person doesn’t smoke in bed.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Preventi... + 12
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data and Statistics for SUID and SIDS. August 13, 2026.
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Safe to Sleep: What Are the Known Risk Factors? Accessed September 17, 2026.
- Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. SIDS Risk Factors and Protective Factors. Accessed September 17, 2026.
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Safe to Sleep: Ways to Reduce Baby’s Risk. Accessed September 17, 2026.
- Safe Sleep Academy. Back to Sleep. Accessed September 17, 2026.
- Moon RY, Carlin RF, et al. Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2022 Recommendations for Reducing Infant Deaths in the Sleep Environment. Pediatrics. (2022) 150 (1).
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Safe Sleep. July 7, 2025.
- HealthyChildren.org/American Academy of Pediatrics. How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained. September 11, 2026.
- Lambert AB, Parks SE, et al. Characteristics of Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths — United States, 2020–2024. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2026;75:544–550.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Safe Sleep: 9 Ways to Reduce a Baby’s Risk of SIDS & Suffocation. April 30, 2026.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Helping Babies Sleep Safely. September 25, 2024.
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Safe to Sleep: Breastfeeding & Safe Sleep. Accessed September 17, 2026.
- March of Dimes. Secondhand Smoke and Your Baby. October 20, 2021.
