Crib Deaths Dip 11%, but Caution Urged

Deaths from sudden infant death syndrome, also known as crib death, have hit a record low in the United States, the government said. But many parents are ignoring advice to lay their babies down to sleep on their backs, the National Center for Health Statistics in Atlanta said. The deaths declined about 11% in 1997, continuing a downward trend started when doctors discovered that putting babies to sleep on their backs greatly reduces the risk, the center said. There were 2,705 crib deaths in 1997, down from 3,050 in 1996, the center reported.