Differential diagnosis of SIDS

Mostly because of the lack of hard facts, people speculate a lot about this condition, sometimes confusing it with another condition that strikes little babies. Many old wives’ tales and superstitions abound about SIDS. From chiropractors claiming stress on the atlas while passing the birth canal, to stories about suffocation from the ammonia in urine, the study of SIDS has suffered from the ignorant. Because the causes remain unknown, parents will often come up with their own explanation for the tragedy and blame themselves. That’s why, it is important to know what SIDS is not:

• Apnea: Apnea has killed many infants. To detect and diagnose a baby with this condition, an apnea monitor can be installed when a SIDS victim stops breathing but one thing should be remembered – a SIDS victim is already dead when that happens. For many years these apnea monitors have been installed mainly for a placebo effect on the parents.
• Predictable: There are no signs that could tell a doctor or parent that SIDS will occur.
• Infant botulism: Infant botulism and SIDS have a similar age of death demographics but the botulism is easily found in an autopsy.
• Caused by immunizations: Most children get their immunizations at about four months which coincides with the average age. But children without immunizations also die of SIDS, so this can’t be considered as the possible cause!
• Caused by poor or bad parents: SIDS happens to parents of all economic, social, educational, and racial groups. 
• Caused by Colds: Many infants get their first runny nose around four months. A SIDS victim can die with a cold, but not from a cold.
• Caused by fire retardants in mattresses
• Caused by suffocation
• Caused by vomiting or choking
• Contagious
• Hereditary
• The result of neglected illness, accidents, or abuse

See Also: Baby Colic (Abdominal Pain in Infants) - Symptoms and Treatment

Prevention of SIDS

Currently there is no known way to prevent SIDS, but there are things that parents and caregivers can do to reduce the risk of a SIDS death:

• Always place your baby to sleep on the back, because this position is the safest. Use a firm sleep surface, such as on a safety-approved crib mattress, covered by a fitted sheet. If you use a blanket, place the baby with feet at the end of the crib. The blanket should reach no higher than the baby's chest. Do not share a sleep surface with your baby. Keep your baby's sleep area close to, but separate from, where you and others sleep.
• Do not allow smoking around your baby
• Use a clean, dry pacifier when placing the infant down to sleep, but don't force the baby to take it. 
• Do not let your baby overheat during sleep. Children should be dressed in light sleep clothing, and the room should maintain a temperature comfortable for an adult.
• Avoid products that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS because most have not been tested for effectiveness or safety.
• Make sure your baby’s head remains uncovered during sleep because babies are at an increased risk for SIDS if their head becomes covered during sleep.
• Good prenatal care, including proper nutrition, abstinence from alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and frequent medical checkups might help prevent a baby from developing any abnormality 
• Breastfeeding has been shown to be good for babies by building their immunity against illness and infections