SIDS: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome, is a new parent's worst fear. An apparently healthy infant, usually less than 1 year old and with no obvious previous or present illness, goes to sleep and never wakes up. Examination of the infant's medical history, home, and even an autopsy do not reveal the cause of death in true SIDS cases.

While the rate of SIDS has fallen by over 50 percent since 1983, according to the American SIDS Institute there are still about 2,500 deaths per year in the US and thousands more throughout the world.