• If you're pregnant, don't smoke. Infants born to women who smoked have a higher risk of SIDS. The same is true of women who used cocaine, heroin, and other illegal drugs when they were expecting.



• Protect your baby from secondhand smoke. Any cigarette smoke in the air your baby breathes increases her risk of SIDS. Even if no one smokes in the baby's room, smoke anywhere in the house affects the baby.



• Use a firm crib mattress. Feather beds, sheepskins, water beds, and other soft surfaces increase the odds of suffocation if a baby does turn face down. Stuffed animals, other soft objects, and bedding (such as quilts, comforters, and pillows) can also cause suffocation, so it's best to keep these things out of the crib and playpen.



• Dress your baby lightly for sleep. Overheating may increase SIDS risk. A baby in a one-piece cotton sleeping suit that covers arms, legs, hands, and feet (commonly called a onesie) doesn't need a blanket for warmth as long as the room is a comfortable temperature.



• If you do use a blanket, tuck it in. To prevent suffocation with a blanket, tuck it snugly under the sides of the crib mattress and at the foot. Babies like the feeling of being held firmly, or swaddled, while they sleep.



• Co-sleeping can be safe if you take precautions. Many parents choose to sleep with their young infants. Some experts feel that co-sleeping increases the risk of SIDS; others argue that it decreases it. Their is no clear-cut right answer. If you co-sleep, take all the same precautions already mentioned (face up, no smoke, no soft surfaces, light clothing). If you are a naturally heavy sleeper, or use medications (or drugs or alcohol) that make it harder for you to wake from sleep, it's not safe to co-sleep. Instead, put your baby to sleep in a crib or cradle near your bed.

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