Sudden infant death syndrome (
SIDS) is big concern of parents everywhere. In good news, focused attention by health care providers and parents have resulted in a decreased SIDS death rate in recent years (there's been a 56% decrease in the United States). Still, even with the reduced rates SIDS remains one of the leading causes of infant death after the neonatal period.
Excessive heat is just one of the many issues that's been correlated with SIDS related deaths, which is possibly why researchers last year looked at whether or not fans in the bedroom might help
reduce the risks of SIDS. Researchers are considering that even small improvements in air flow in a room might help prevent pooling of CO2 in front of an infant's face (one of the theories of how soft bedding raises the risk for SIDS).
The good news: A fan might help reduce some cases of SIDS. However, the babies who were helped the most in the study also had other risk issues such as sleeping on their tummy vs. back, no pacifier use, and soft surface in bed.
The bad news: What the final results of this study noted is that a fan MAY help infants with other SIDS risk factors but does little good for babies who are sleeping on their back, using a pacifier, and who had no soft bedding surrounding them. It's always good to keep your baby's sleeping space at a comfortable temperature, and so a fan isn't a terrible idea, but it's not the total answer to the SIDS problem.
The best news: Fan or not you do have the power to reduce your baby's risk of dying from SIDS. Learn how to
lower the risks of SIDS.
