Preventing SIDS

I am most pleased to note the remarkable 30% decline in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in the United States since information about infant sleep positions is finally reaching parents. The benefits of placing infants to sleep on their backs instead of their stomachs was first identified in New Zealand, where the incidence of SIDS was quite high in comparison to the United States. This research was validated in Australia, then Europe, before information began to reach the public in the U.S.

Your June 26 editorial, “An Infant-Care Lifesaver,” listed three other risk factors for SIDS: “smoking in a room where the infant sleeps, rooms that are too warm and excessively soft mattresses or fluffy bedding.” Actually, there is one more risk factor that has been identified in all the above research centers and consequent journal articles .J.J. not breast-feeding.

CHELE MARMET

Director, Lactation Institute

& Breastfeeding Clinic, Encino