Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative
- Infant Mortality Reduction Home
- SUID/SIDS
- Safe Sleep Certified Hospitals and Birth Centers
- Shaken Baby Syndrome
- Grief and Loss Support
- Preterm Birth
- Healthy Beginnings Healthy Families: Infant Health
Related Programs
Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (Includes SIDS and Sleep-Related Infant Deaths) and Safe Sleep
Annually, approximately 50 otherwise healthy Minnesota babies die of sleep-related unintentional injuries while sleeping in unsafe conditions such as in an adult bed or on a sofa with parents or older children. Babies become tangled in bedding, get stuck under pillows, or trapped between a sleeping adult and the cushions of a sofa or recliner. Sometimes their own sleeping parents roll over on them unintentionally, causing death from suffocation and chest compression.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all infants sleep on their backs in their own firm, flat, non-inclined sleep space such as a safety-approved crib, bassinet, or play yard and in a smoke-free environment to reduce the risk of sleep-related preventable deaths.
Learn more about Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths and SIDS by visiting the websites, documents, and resources below.
- CDC About Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
- Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2022 Recommendations for
Reducing Infant Deaths in the Sleep Environment (PDF) - Safe Sleep FAQ (PDF)
Infant Safe Sleep awareness week
Infant Safe Sleep week provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations, government entities, health care facilities, and coalitions to promote the awareness and education about safe sleep practices to ensure that infants are safe while they sleep or nap.
Safe Sleep resources and materials for families
Cradle of Hope
This non-profit organization provides financial assistance to mothers who need immediate help with maternity-related expenses such as portable cribs.
Healthy Natives Project: Getting Safe Infant Sleep Messages into Native Communities
This website includes training materials and activities intended to help spread safe infant sleep messages in Native communities. The items included on this website were created by the Eunice Kennedy National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and collaborators in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities.
Infant Safe Sleep - know the A-B-Cs quick cards
- Safe Sleep-English (PDF)
- Safe Sleep-Amharic (PDF)
- Safe Sleep-Hmong (PDF)
- Safe Sleep-Karen (PDF)
- Safe Sleep-Oromo (PDF)
- Safe Sleep-Russian (PDF)
- Safe Sleep-Somali (PDF)
- Safe Sleep-Spanish (PDF)
Tummy Time flyer - back to sleep and tummy to play: Babies should be on their backs for sleep, but should spend some supervised time on their tummies when awake.
- Tummy Time-English (PDF)
- Tummy Time-Amharic (PDF)
- Tummy Time-Hmong (PDF)
- Tummy Time-Karen (PDF)
- Tummy Time-Oromo (PDF)
- Tummy Time-Russian (PDF)
- Tummy Time-Somali (PDF)
- Tummy Time-Spanish (PDF)
Safe to Sleep campaign materials: Download or order flyers, door hangers, brochures, and fact sheets on safe sleep and SIDS in English and Spanish from the Eunice Kennedy National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). General materials are available for caregivers and families, as well as those targeting African American and American Indian/Alaskan Native communities. Materials are also available for healthcare and service providers to view or download.
Information for providers and investigators
Minnesota licensed childcare program laws
- Minnesota Statute 245A.1435 REDUCTION OF RISK OF SUDDEN UNEXPECTED INFANT DEATH IN LICENSED PROGRAMS
License childcare providers must follow these guidelines to reduce the risk of Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths in licensed childcare programs.
Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Reporting Form (SUIDIRF)
Effective September 1, 2014, the Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Reporting Form (SUIDIRF) replaces the 2002 Minnesota Infant Death Investigation Guidelines, developed to investigate sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) in Minnesota. The SUIDIRF is a death scene investigation form developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to standardize death scene investigations of sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) in states and local jurisdictions. The forms were also designed to help investigators better determine the cause and manner of infant deaths so that appropriate interventions may be developed to prevent future deaths.
The SUIDIRF must be completed whenever a sudden unexpected infant death is being investigated in Minnesota. The forms, training materials, and a link with instructions on how to complete the forms may be downloaded from the CDC's website.
CDC Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Investigation Reporting Form (SUIDIRF)
Please send all completed forms to:
Injury and Violence Prevention Unit
P.O. Box 64882
St. Paul, MN 55614-0882