KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - October is SIDS Awareness Month, and Public Health - Seattle & King County is warning parents that safe sleep practices for infants are critical for reducing the risk of SIDS and other causes of infant deaths related to unsafe sleep environments.

"To reduce the risk of infant death, babies should be put to sleep on their backs on firm mattresses," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director, Public Health - Seattle & King County. "Parents should avoid all sorts of soft surfaces and fluffy blankets for their babies."

In 1998, 15 children died from SIDS in King County. According to the newly formed King County Child Death Review, the majority of infant deaths attributed to SIDS or sleep position were associated with absence of one of the following safe sleep recommendations.

Safe sleep recommendations for infants:

1.	Place your baby down to sleep on her/his back at night and for naps, unless otherwise directed by a physician;
2.	Do not permit smoking around your baby; the risk of SIDS is higher for babies whose mothers smoked while they were pregnant and for infants exposed to cigarette smoke after they are born;
3.	Babies should sleep or nap on a firm surface with no soft bedding such as quilts, sheepskins, fluffy blankets, pillows, or comforters;
4.	If you are using a crib, place baby on his/her back on a firm tight fitting mattress that meets current safety standards;
		Although SIDS is sometimes referred to as "crib death," cribs do not cause "crib death."
5.	Make sure your baby's head remains uncovered during sleep.
6.	Keep your baby warm, but not too warm. The temperature of your baby's room should be comfortable to you.
7.	If you choose to sleep in the same bed with your infant, avoid using soft sleeping surfaces and keep quilts, sheepskins, fluffy blankets, pillows, or comforters away from baby.
		Baby's bed should be a firm mattress, not a couch, waterbed, or other soft surface.
		If you sleep with your baby, do not smoke or use drugs or alcohol that may make it more difficult for you to waken.
8.	Unlike cribs, which are designed to meet safety standards for infants, adult beds are not designed for babies and may carry a risk of accidental entrapment and suffocation.

SIDS involves the sudden and unexpected death of an infant under one year of age, which remains unexplained after the performance of a complete postmortem investigation, including an autopsy, an examination of the scene of death, and review of the case history. It is not caused by abuse or neglect.

For more information about keeping babies healthy, call your local Public Health Center. To find the one nearest you, call (206) 296-4600. Additional information may also be obtained by calling the SIDS Foundation at (800) 533-0376.