HHS HealthBeat (December 16, 2010)

Blankets for babies?

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Parents naturally want their baby to sleep warm in the cold weather. But an expert in sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, warns there is a deadly risk to the baby in putting on too many clothes and blankets.

Dr. Marian Willinger of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development says the risk of SIDS rises when the baby overheats.

``What they should be doing is trying to avoid the use of blankets – to use a blanket sleeper, so that you don’t run the chance of the baby getting their face or head covered by the bedding.’’ (11 seconds)

Dr. Willinger also says the most important thing to reduce the risk of SIDS is to place the baby on his or her back for every sleep.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 7, 2011