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Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Common Questions and Answers

Hillary J. Darrow, MD
Kayla A. Carman, DO
Vernon Wheeler, MD

American Family Physician. 2025;111(2):164-170.

Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.

This clinical content conforms to AAFP criteria for CME.

Sudden unexpected infant death is an umbrella term that describes death that occurs in infants younger than 12 months that does not have an immediately obvious cause. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is diagnosed when there is no other explanation for the death after a detailed investigation. Despite a decrease in the incidence of SIDS after instituting the Back to Sleep campaign in 1992, sudden unexpected infant death remains a leading cause of infant death, and rates have plateaued. Although there has been a decrease in the incidence of SIDS, these numbers likely reflect improved investigations because rates of sudden unexpected infant death have remained stable. Recommended risk reduction strategies include promotion of a supine sleep position, safe sleep surfaces, room sharing, breast milk feeding, and pacifier use. Families should be counseled to avoid sharing sleep surfaces, overheating, loose bedding and inclined surfaces, and parental use of tobacco or alcohol. Infant swaddling without hats is recommended until they are attempting to roll over, after which appropriate clothing or wearable blankets can be worn. Family physicians should prioritize early education and consistent messaging to promote SIDS risk reduction.

HILLARY J. DARROW, MD, is family medicine obstetrics staff at the Family Medicine Residency Program at Fort Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Georgia. At the time this article was written, she was adjunct faculty at the Family Medicine Residency Program at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Cavazos, Texas.

KAYLA A. CARMAN, DO, is adjunct faculty at the Family Medicine Residency Program at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center.

VERNON WHEELER, MD, FAAFP, is the research director and Family Medicine Obstetrics faculty member at the Family Medicine Residency Program at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center; an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland; and a clinical assistant professor at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Temple.

Address correspondence to Hillary J. Darrow, MD, at culli1hj@cmich.edu.

Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.

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