Winter May Increase SIDS Risk

The cold winter months bring an increase in the number of infants who die from sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

During colder months, parents often place extra blankets or night clothes on infants, hoping to provide them with extra warmth. But the extra material may also increase infants' risk for SIDS because of overheating, said Duane Alexander, the director of the NICHD.

"Of course, parents and caregivers should always place infants to sleep on their backs -- at nighttime and at naptime," he said.

For almost a decade, the NICHD has led the Back to Sleep campaign, which recommends that infants should be placed on their backs to sleep, on a firm mattress with no blankets or fluffy bedding under or over them.

If a blanket is used, it should be placed no higher than a baby's chest and be tucked in under the crib mattress.

The baby's crib or sleep area should be free of pillows and stuffed toys, and the temperature in the baby's room should be kept at a level that feels comfortable for an adult.

Since the NICHD campaign began, the overall rate of SIDS in the United States has declined by more than 50 percent.

SIDS still claims the lives of roughly 2,500 infants each year.

The causes of SIDS are still unclear, researchers say.