(1) The sudden, unexpected death of a newborn is the third most common cause of death among newborns and is only exceeded in the first year of life by congenital malformations and prematurity.

(2) Most sudden infant deaths occur when a baby is between two and four months old, and 90% of all sudden infant deaths occur before six months of age.

(3) Most babies that die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or sudden unexpected death in infants (SUDI) appear to be healthy prior to death.

(4) Sixty percent of SIDS victims are male and 40% are female.

(5) While SIDS occurs in all socioeconomic, racial and ethnic groups, African-American and Native-American babies are two to three times more likely to die of SIDS than Caucasian babies.

(6) In 1994, the American Academy of Pediatrics, in conjunction with other major health organizations in the United States, launched the national “Back to Sleep” campaign, which endorsed and promoted the placement of infants on their backs both for sleeping and napping.

(7) The incidence of sudden infant death in the United States decreased by more than 50% since the inception of this campaign.

(8) In 2005, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a new recommendation to further reduce the risk of SIDS that defined and promoted the use of a safe sleeping environment for infants.

(9) At this time there is no known way to prevent SIDS or SUDI, but the risk can be minimized. Parents should learn risk factors associated with SIDS and SUDI and share with others information on how to create a safe sleeping environment for an infant to reduce the risk of sudden and unexpected death.