October is SIDS Awareness Month

Overview:

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month is an annual nationwide observance throughout the month of October to raise awareness of SIDS and gain support for activities to reduce SIDS rates. SIDS is defined as the sudden death of an infant under age 1 that cannot be explained after a thorough investigation has been conducted, including a complete autopsy, an examination of the death scene, and a review of the clinical history. On behalf of the SUID/SIDS Consortium, the National SUID/SIDS Resource Center has compiled the following resources to support state, community, family, and individual efforts to reduce SIDS rates throughout the United States.

• American Academy of Pediatrics. (2011). SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Expansion of Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment. Policy Statement | Technical Report.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month: Highlights of NICHD Outreach. Describes NICHD's ongoing outreach efforts to help spread safe sleep messages to different audiences.

Related Resources from the SUID/SIDS Consortium:

• African American Faith-Based Bereavement Initiative. A series of modules to enhance the faith community's support for families who experience pregnancy or infant loss.
• ASIP/AMCHP Webinar Series. (2010-2011). A series of webinars to strengthen SUID, SIDS, infant safe sleep, and bereavement services across the United States.
• Counselor's Corner. Articles to help families through the difficult time following the death of an infant.
• Cultural and Linguistic Competence Self-Assessment for Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Programs. (2011). Archived webinar on the concepts of cultural and linguistic competence as they apply to the FIMR process and the benefits, principles, and approaches to self-assessment appropriate fo FIMR programs.
• Health Education Specialist Corner. Innovative programs at the local, state, and regional levels.
• Hot Topics in Infant Safe Sleep with Rachel Moon, M.D. (2011). Discussion from the ASIP-Pregnancy Loss and Infant Death Alliance 2010 International Conference on Perinatal and Infant Death and follow-up webinar series.
• Resources to Support AAP Policy Statement on SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths. (2011, upd. 2012).
• Resources for Professionals Who Work on SUID/SIDS Issues. (2011).

• Training Toolkit. (2009). Resources on risk reduction, health promotion, and culturally competent services; training for first responders; guidelines, strategies, and core competencies; multimedia and other resources.
• New editions of The Death of a Child, The Grief of the Parents: A Lifetime Journey and The Grieving Child: Helping Children Cope When an Infant Dies.

Updated October 2012