SIDS Resources

• Safe to Sleep^® Campaign (formerly the Back to Sleep campaign)
  This collaborative education campaign aims to raise awareness about SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death, such as accidental suffocation, and to explain ways to reduce the risks of these outcomes to parents, caregivers, and health care providers. The campaign website includes:
  • Ways to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death
  • Materials and information for parents and caregivers
  • Interactive room that helps explain what a safe sleep environment looks like
  • Videos about safe infant sleep
  • Shareable infographics and images about safe infant sleep
  • Campaign collaborators and partners
  • Background on the campaign and its activities
• March of Dimes   
  The March of Dimes provides education and information to promote healthy, full-term pregnancies and families and supports research on problems that threaten the health of infants.
  • Sudden infant death syndrome 
• American Academy of Pediatrics—HealthyChildren.org 
  This website from the American Academy of Pediatrics provides information for parents and caregivers, including conditions and stages of development and safety tips.
  • Reduce the Risk of SIDS 
• Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
  The CPSC, which regulates the safety of consumer products and is a collaborator in the NICHD-led Safe to Sleep^® campaign, features product recall information and research and statistics on its site as well as safety education for consumers.
  • New federal crib standards for child care providers and centers
  • New federal crib standards for hotels and motels (PDF 1.97 MB)
  • Bare is Best poster
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  The FDA provides information for consumers on the use of baby products to prevent SIDS.
• National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health, Georgetown University: SUID/SIDS Gateway 
  The National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health includes information, services, materials, and technical assistance to those affected by a SUID/SIDS.
  • Bereavement Support 
  • For Families 
  • Pregnancy Loss, Miscarriage, or Stillbirth Support 
• First Candle 
  First Candle, one of NICHD's collaborators in safe sleep outreach, is a national nonprofit health organization uniting parents, caregivers, and researchers with government, business, and community service groups to advance infant health and survival.
  • Bereavement Support: First Candle has bilingual crisis counselors available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call toll free at (800) 221-7437.
  • For Grieving Families 

Please note: Links to organizations and information included on this page do not indicate endorsement from NICHD, NIH, or HHS.

• NICHD Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch
  The NICHD Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch seeks to improve the health of mothers and children with a focus on maternal health, pregnancy, fetal well-being, labor and delivery, and the developing child. Much of the Institute's research on SIDS is supported through this Branch. The Branch also supports or has supported these efforts:
  • The Prenatal Alcohol and SIDS and Stillbirth (PASS) Network, a collaborative effort between NICHD and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, investigates the role of prenatal exposure to alcohol in SIDS risk and in poor pregnancy outcomes, such as stillbirth and fetal alcohol syndrome. The Safe Passage Study , the current main study of the PASS Network, is investigating the effects of alcohol exposure during pregnancy on SIDS risk.
  • National Infant Sleep Position (NISP) Study
    NICHD supports this study to evaluate changes in infant care practices in response to the Back to Sleep campaign. The annual telephone survey interviews nighttime caregivers in households with infants younger than 8 months.
  • Collaborative Home Infant Monitoring Evaluation (CHIME) Study
    CHIME enrolled 1,079 infants for the purpose of studying whether home monitors were effective in identifying episodes of apnea dangerous to an infant's health. Based on CHIME findings, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend the use of home monitors to predict or prevent SIDS.
• Safe to Sleep^® Campaign
  This collaborative education campaign, led by NICHD, offers information about research on SIDS and its possible causes. It also provides these resources for providers:
  • Continuing Education (CE) Program on SIDS Risk Reduction: Curriculum for Nurses
    NICHD, the National Institute on Nursing Research, and other organizations partnered to create this CE program for nurses on reducing the risk of SIDS. The course is accredited for 1.1 CE credit hours.
  • Q/As for Health Care Providers: SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Causes of Infant Death (PDF 1.68 MB)
• National SUID/SIDS Resource Center 
  The National SUID/SIDS Resource Center provides information, services, materials, and technical assistance to those affected by SUID/SIDS.
  • Professional resources 
  • Research bibliographies 
  • For first responders 
• African American Faith-Based Bereavement Initiative (AAFBBI) 
  NICHD cofunded the development of this online module, available through the National Center for Cultural Competence at Georgetown University. The initiative aims to improve support for families affected by SIDS.
• In this updated policy statement and technical report, the American Academy of Pediatrics provides expanded guidelines on safe sleep for infants, with additional information for parents on creating a safe environment in which their child can sleep.
• CDC Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Initiative
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Division of Reproductive Health began the Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) Initiative in 1998 to improve the investigation and reporting practices for SIDS and other SUIDs. Out of this initiative came revised reporting forms, training curricula, and a state-based SUID case registry.
• Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
  The CPSC is the government agency responsible for ensuring the safety of products such as cribs and bassinets. The Commission is a collaborator in the NICHD-led Safe to Sleep^® campaign and offers several resources related to crib safety and the safety of other products, such as wedges.
  • Crib Information Center
  • New Crib Safety Standards Video
  • Sleep Positioner Warning
  • Sleep Positioner Warning Video
  • Crib Safety Standards Info Page

Please note: Links to organizations and information included on this page do not indicate endorsement from NICHD, NIH, or HHS.