Sleep strategies change over time: Babies are no longer put on their tummies to sleep. You may remember when doctors recommended putting your baby on his or her tummy to sleep to reduce the chance of aspirating and choking. In the mid-1980s, research started linking tummy-sleeping to higher incidences of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and by 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics advised against tummy sleeping. This advice has weathered the test of time, because the recommendation for back sleeping was confirmed by the AAP in early 2017. SIDS Prevention: SIDS has been studied extensively and here are the other things to avoid: * Keeping the room too stuffy and too warm. A temperature of around 68 degrees is recommended. * Soft bedding - it's recommended to keep blankets, quilts, etc. out of the baby's bed until the age of one year. * Smoking - second hand smoke raises the risk of SIDS. * Experts also recommend against side sleeping, because the baby may roll onto his/her tummy. BUT...babies often don't sleep as well as on their backs, so what can you do? 16 GRAND JULY AUGUST 2017 Continued on next pagehttps://www.facebook.com/GRANDmagazine/ https://www.twitter.com/grandMmagazine