Let your infant sleep on back

Do not forget to place your sleeping baby on his/her back as supine sleeping can reduce the risk of of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Rates of supine sleeping (being placed on the back for sleep) are as low as 50 percent in some states in the US, a research said.

While only about two-thirds of term infants are placed on their backs to sleep, the rate is even lower among premature infants.

"Given that supine sleep positioning significantly reduces an infant's risk for SIDS, it is worrisome that only two-thirds of full-term infants born in the US are being placed back-to-sleep," said Sunah Hwang, an instructor in pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, the US.

More concerning is that adherence to safe sleep positioning is even lower for premature infants who are at even greater risk for SIDS compared to term infants, Hwang said.

SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants between one month and one year of age.

The study included 392,397 infants born in 36 states.

Both premature and term infants had suboptimal rates of supine sleep positioning after hospital discharge, the study said.