Parents warned of easily forgotten measures to avoid baby cot deaths

A stark warning has been given to parents over potentially catastrophic mistakes when putting their tots to bed – and tips on how to avoid them. 

CPR Kids, a Children’s first aid education service, has revealed that putting your baby to sleep while they wear a beanie, bonnet or hoodie increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) otherwise known as cot death is a heartbreaking condition that according to the NHS affects 200 babies a year in the UK, where a perfectly healthy baby dies in their sleep. 

Parents can follow these steps to avoid the condition and greatly reduce the risk of having to go through losing a child to it.

Firstly, having your little one’s head and face uncovered during sleep greatly reduces the risk of being affected by the condition. 

A representative from CPR Kids, said: “Keeping your baby’s head and face uncovered during sleep reduces the risk of sudden and unexpected death, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).”

According to the Lullaby trust, if parents are co-sleeping they should remove any pillows or bedding that could constrict the babies breathing during sleep and avoid overheating.

As well as this, parents are to not smoke during pregnancy while also not smoking near their newborns post-birth. 

Even if a friend is smoking near your child the risk of SIDS is increased. 

No blanket should be any higher than a baby’s shoulders, feet should not touch the end of their cot, avoid sleeping with them on a sofa or armchair and ideally sleep in the same room as them for the first six months of their life. 

Finally, parents, guardians and babysitters need to make sure their kids are not sleeping on their stomach as it can block their airwave and cause airbreathing – a term that describes when a baby is re-breathing their own exhaled air. 

The condition itself is mostly a worry in a baby’s first six months, and if it does happen will usually happen when they are asleep, but following the above steps will apparently decrease the possibility of it ever happening.