Imagine one night as you put your baby to sleep like you always do, when you wake up in the morning to find that your baby has suddenly died in his sleep. This phenomenon has become parents' worst fear. Their baby died of sudden infant death syndrome and there is nothing they can or could have done about it. SIDS is a reality and has occurred throughout history. It is very important to understand the variables that may increase your chances of losing a baby to SIDS, to look for signs in their cries that could hint at SIDS, and to take all possible steps to prevent sudden death syndrome. does not strike your family. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome The syndrome has existed since the dawn of time (Mitchell, 2009). If you look in 1 Kings 3:19, it says, “And the woman's child died in the night. » This verse implies that the child dies due to a sudden event or perhaps an illness such as sudden infant death syndrome (Mitchell, 2009). “When an apparently healthy baby under one year of age is put to sleep and later found dead, he or she is a victim of SIDS if no other cause of death can be found. Although SIDS is unpredictable and unusual, it is the leading cause of death in babies aged 1 to 12 months. (Maindonald, 2005, p.53). The most common age a baby dies from SIDS is between 2 and 6 months, and boys are more likely to die than girls (Maindonald, 2005). Although SIDS was not actually diagnosed until 1965, after sudden infant death syndrome was identified as a disease, diagnosis largely increased and SIDS was more prevalent (Mitchell, 2009). Nearly 3,000 infants die each year from sudden death syndrome. (CRIBS) The cause of SIDS has not yet been ...... middle of paper ......al Use of Materials. Relational Child and Youth Care Practice, 24(3), 33-39.Maindonald, E. (2005). Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Nursing, 35(7), 53. Mitchell, E. (2009). SIDS: past, present and future. Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway: 1992), 98(11), 1712-1719. doi:10.1111/j.1651-2227.2009.01503.xLiebrechts-Akkerman, G., Lao, O., Liu, F., Sleuwen, B., Engelberts, A., L'Hoir, M., & ... Kayser, M. (2011). Postnatal parental smoking: an important risk factor for SIDS. European Journal of Pediatrics, 170(10), 1281-1291. doi:10.1007/s00431-011-1433-6Lester, B. (1996). Babies' cries provide insight into many things, including SIDS. Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter, 12(10), 1Phillips, D.P., Brewer, K.M., & Wadensweiler, P. (2011). Alcohol as a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Addiction, 106(3), 516-525. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03199.x