Disease Database Drug Database Alt. Over half of black parents place their babies to sleep on their stomachs or sides, putting them at greater risk of sudden infant death syndrome, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday. Only 31 percent of black parents place babies on their backs, a position that reduces the risk of SIDS, versus 47 percent of white parents, according to a CPSC survey.
Blacks are also more likely to put quilts, comforters and pillows in bed with their newborns.
Such soft bedding can increase the risk of SIDS death from suffocation and may have contributed to as many as 900 SIDS deaths a year. With black babies twice as likely to die from SIDS as other babies, CPSC officials said the survey shows more needs to be done to alert blacks about the how to reduce SIDS risks. The key is getting information to the right people within the black community, said CPSC officials. Blacks tend to learn safe-baby practices from a grandmother, mother or other family member who may still believe that it's safe to put babies to sleep on their stomachs because that's what they were taught. Place babies on their backs on firm, tight-fitting mattresses.