A recent study underscores that caregivers often change sleep arrangements during an infant's illness, which can unintentionally increase the risk of sudden infant death, including SIDS.

Research involving over 100 caregivers of infants up to 12 months old reveals a decline in safe sleep practices—such as placing infants on their backs and in cribs—during illness, with unsafe practices like bed-sharing becoming more common.

These unsafe sleep behaviors not only rise during illness but also tend to persist for at least a month afterward, heightening the vulnerability to SUID during this period.

The findings, published in Pediatrics, reinforce the importance of adhering to safe sleep guidelines, especially during illness, to prevent SUID.

Guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics emphasize that infants should sleep on their backs, alone, and in safe environments, particularly when they are sick, to minimize the risk of sudden infant death.