Health

Fan in Baby’s Room Reduces Crib Death

by Terri Potratz | October 6, 2008 at 02:40 pm

1964 views | 9 Recommendations | 8 comments

Sudden infant death syndrome, also known as SIDS or crib death, is a tragic occurrence that has been extensively researched in an effort to prevent more babies from myseriously dying in their sleep.

Classified as a natural cause of death, SIDS is held responsible when all other causes of death are ruled out, which makes cause and prevention measures difficult to pin down. Infection and serotonin levels have both been identified as possible causes of SIDS, while parents continue to look for answers in desperate efforts to keep their infants safe from this leading cause of death among children under 1.

The latest study compared the sleeping circumstances of 185 babies who died of SIDS with another 312 randomly selected babies who were matched by race, ethnicity, country of origin and age. The study, published today in The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that simply having a fan in the room lowered a baby’s risk of SIDS by 72 percent. The gains were even greater if the baby slept on the stomach or was sleeping in a warmer room, both of which are risk factors for SIDS.

While the study wasn’t designed to identify why fans make a difference, the theory is that by circulating the air, fans lower the risk of “rebreathing” by the baby. The rebreathing of exhaled carbon dioxide trapped near an infant’s airway has been suggested as a possible reason SIDS risk is higher when children sleep on their stomachs, in soft beds or without pacifiers.

Using a fan should be used in conjunction with other preventative measures, such as keeping the baby on his or her back and on a firm surface.

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Stephanie Duszynski (not verified)

at 17:37 on October 6th, 2008

How interesting! I hadn't heard of these findings - thanks for sharing them. I did want to note that mothers can take another important step towards preventing SIDS - by breastfeeding. Research shows that infants who are not breastfed are two to three times more likely to die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (NICHD). Scientists have concluded that breastfeeding is second only to the "back to sleep" position as a protective factor against SIDS (Avon Study).

petiteposh

at 18:01 on October 6th, 2008

The baby sleeping bags featured in the picture are also an important step in preventing SIDS. Studies have shown that not using a blanket but using a baby sleeping bag prevents suffocation. The sleeping bags in the picture are by Grobag and can be purchased at www.petiteposh.com.

Rhonda J Mangus

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 18:59 on October 6th, 2008

Terri Potratz, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Paul Conneally

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 21:03 on October 6th, 2008

Terri Potratz, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Amitjha

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 22:23 on October 6th, 2008

Terri Potratz, I like this story. It's good stuff.

cwerner567

at 04:39 on October 7th, 2008

He is not wearing pants and the ceiling fan made the room a bit chilly so I put a light blanket on him. He seemed to do alright!

cwerner567 has contributed a photo to this story.

ebrownosu (not verified)

at 08:50 on October 8th, 2008

How great that this is a public topic..this is something that is very important for parents to be aware of... all of the suggestions are great, but beware of blankets. If using a blanket it is safest to keep the blanket below the nipple line and to tuck the sides of the blanket as well as the bottom of the blanket under the mattress. This prevents the blanket from coming loose and possibly suffocating the infant. Please visit the American Academy of Pediatrics website dedicated to Safe Sleep!

http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/Sleep.cfm