More babies die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome each year than from any other killer. Learn how to prevent your baby from being at risk for SIDS from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

According to studies done by the American Academy of Pedatrics, there are a variety of risk factors involved with SIDS that all parents should be aware of. To avoid this silent, unexplainable killer, follow the AAP's recommendations for your infant's sleeping habits (especially in the first year).

Sudden Infant Death Sydrome (SIDS) is the unexpected and sudden death of an infant in which a thorough exam, examination of its clinical history, and investigation of the place of death fails to reveal a cause.

Although the cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is still unknown, researchers have found similar characterisitcs between infant asphyxiation and SIDS. There are preventative measures that the AAP has found greatly reduce the risk of SIDS. Parents should be aware that for reasons unknown, twice as many black infants die from SIDS than the natural average, and 20% more infants die of SIDS that spend their days with a caregiver than those who are with their mothers.

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests the following to significantly reduce the risk of SIDS for your infant:

• Always place babies on their back to sleep, never on their stomach.
• According to a panel of experts convened by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, even though they cannot find any evidence that infants sharing a bed with their mother doesn't increse the risk of SIDS, it does not decrease it, either.
• If your infant is going to sleep in the same bed with you, lay her supine straight on the matress, without soft bedding like a quilt or or a blanket underneath her.
• Do not smoke, drink alchohol, or take any other substances that might prevent you from waking up easily, or would cause you to harm the baby unintentionally in your sleep.
• Be sure to alert your caregiver to the risks and dangers of SIDS and insist that your infant be placed on his back to sleep.
• While infants are awake, they do need time on their stomachs to develop certain important muscle groups. If you notice your baby nodding off on her stomach while playing, be sure to place your baby on her back.

The death rate caused by SIDS has dropped significantly, more than 40 percent, since 1992 when the AAP issued a statement recommending that infants sleep on their backs rather than their stomachs, followed by their "Back to Sleep" campaign in 1994. The AAP now says the decline is treading water and would like to see more to be done in preventing this devastating baby killer.