In an editorial in the January 2016 issue of Pediatrics, Drs. Rachel Moon and Fern Hauck remind us that there are factors other than an infant’s sleep environment that are thought to contribute to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). According to Moon and Hauck, “If we are to further impact infant mortality rates and eliminate SIDS, focus on the sleep environment will continue to be important but will likely be insufficient.” Factors that make an infant more vulnerable to SIDS include exposure to cigarette smoke, prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol, and lack of breastfeeding.

The editorial is based on an analysis of infant deaths by Goldstein et al, published in the same issue.

Click here for the editorial.

Click here for the article by Goldstein et al, Overall Postneonatal Mortality and Rates of SIDS.