Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (Includes SIDS and Sleep-Related Infant Deaths) and Safe Sleep
Annually, 50 or more 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 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 safety-approved crib and in a smoke-free environment to reduce the risk both of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and these tragic preventable injury deaths.
On this page:
Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID) and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Cradle of Hope
American Indian/Alaskan Native Community
Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Reporting Form (SUIDIRF)
Safe to Sleep Materials
Tummy Time Flyer
Minnesota Laws
Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID) and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
- CDC About Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
In 2016 approximately 3,600 sudden unexpected infant deaths occurred in the United States. While 42% of these deaths were due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), 24% resulted from accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed and 34% were classified as Unknown Cause. - Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) in Minnesota Data Brief (PDF)
Cradle of Hope
Cradle of Hope is a non-profit organization which provides financial assistance to mothers who need immediate help with maternity-related expenses such as portable cribs.
- To learn more about how to obtain a portable crib visit Cradle of Hope's website or call 651-636-0637.
American Indian/Alaskan Native Community
AI/AN infants have the highest rates of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in the United States and are nearly three times more likely to die of SIDS than White infants.
- American Indian Infant Mortality Review Project. Minnesota Project 2005-2007. (PDF)
Summer 2008.
- Getting Safe Infant Sleep Messages into Native Communities
NICHD collaborated with American Indian/Alaskan Native communities to produce this toolkit.
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 infant 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) 8 page reporting form plus instructions.
Please send all completed forms to:
Injury and Violence Prevention Unit
P.O. Box 64882
St. Paul, MN 55614-0882
Safe to Sleep Materials
- Infant Safe Sleep - Know the A-B-Cs - English (PDF)
- Safe to Sleep Campaign Materials
Download or order flyers, door hangers and fact sheets on safe sleep and SIDS in English and Spanish from NICHD. General materials are available, as well as those targeting African American and American Indian/Alaskan Native communities.
Tummy Time Flyer
Back To Sleep and Tummy To Play: Babies should be on their backs for sleep, but should spend some time on their tummies when awake - English (PDF). Minnesota Laws
- Minnesota Statute 245A.1435 REDUCTION OF RISK OF SUDDEN UNEXPECTED INFANT DEATH IN LICENSED PROGRAMS
License childcare providers must follow a number of guidelines to reduce the risk of SIDS.
