Protecting Against SIDS | Video

Jessica Roose | 1/6/2013

If you do have a young child at home there are a few things you can do to lower the risks of SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Doctors say to always place the baby on his or her back when they go to bed and make sure they are sleeping on a firm surface.

Dr. Parag Kumar at Sanford says a smoke-free environment can lower the risks as well as breastfeeding. "We don`t really know what causes it. But there are a few theories. We think that the brains of the children that are more susceptible to SIDS are slightly different. That is when the are breathing carbon dioxide they don`t wake up."

Kumar says SIDS occurs in babies under the age of one and that they become less at risk once they become more mobile and can lift their head.

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