The Best Guide for the ST4 Area

Save a Baby Month: May 2007

Key points:

1. Cot death is still the biggest killer of babies over one month old in the UK today, claiming around 300 infants' lives every year - that's more than road traffic accidents, leukaemia and meningitis put together.
2. Save a Baby Month is FSID's annual awareness and fundraising drive, aiming to highlight the positive steps that each and every new parent or carer can take to reduce the risk of cot death. More than 600,000 babies are born in the UK each year.

How to reduce the risk of cot death (top three pieces of advice):

1. Place your baby on the back to sleep.
2. Cut smoking in pregnancy - fathers too! Do not let anyone smoke in the same room as your baby.
3. The safest place for your baby to sleep is in a crib or cot in a room with you for the first six months.

For more infant care advice call the FSID helpline on 020 7233 2090 or visit http://www.fsid.org.uk/

How the public can take part in Save a Baby Month:

1. Win prizes worth over £1,000, including a Maclaren Quest stroller, grobag^® products and Babies "R" Us bedding. Go to http://www.fsid.org.uk/ from 1-31 May to enter the Save a Baby Month free prize draw.
2. Join the Great 48 Challenge: FSID's ‘£48 could save a baby's life' appeal is based on the total funds FSID has provided to epidemiological research and the number of babies' lives estimated to have been saved due to the safe infant care advice identified by that research. During May, as part of our £48 appeal, we are asking people to organise £48-themed activities like a 48-question quiz, a 48-mile sponsored cycle or a 48-hour fast from chocolate. Visit http://www.fsid.org.uk/ or call 020 7222 8003 for more information.
3. Visit http://www.fsid.org.uk/ or call the helpline 020 7233 2090 for more safe infant care advice.

What is FSID?

The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) is the UK's leading baby charity working to prevent sudden infant deaths and promote infant health. FSID funds research (nearly £10 million to date); supports bereaved families; promotes baby care advice; and works to improve investigations when a baby dies.

The UK's cot death rate has fallen by 75% since we launched the campaign to reduce the risk of cot death in 1991, and we estimate that 25,000 babies' lives have been saved. Despite this success, cot death remains the biggest killer of babies over one month old.

What is cot death?

‘Cot death' is a term commonly used to describe a sudden and unexpected infant death that is initially unexplained.  The equivalent medical term is ‘sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI)'. Some sudden and unexpected infant deaths can be explained by a thorough post-mortem examination and other investigations. Cot deaths that remain unexplained after a thorough investigation are usually registered as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).  Sometimes, other terms like ‘sudden infant death', ‘sudden unexpected death in infancy or ‘unascertained' may be used. 

For more information about cot death go to http://www.fsid.org.uk/cot-death.html and for more statistics go to http://www.fsid.org.uk/facts-figures.html

Cot death[i] in the UK: 2001-2005 (babies aged 0-1 years)                                         Source: ONS

Regional cot death rates: confirmed rates for 2004                                                  Source: ONS

Regional statistics for other years are also available; please call 020 7227 5210 or 020 7222 8001.

For more information: call Nicola Peckett on 020 7227 5212 or Stacey Kerr on 020 7227 5210.

[i] These figures include deaths registered as Sudden Infant Death (any mention) and unascertained ages 0-1 years.

[ii] NISRA includes deaths certified as Bronchopneumonia (ICD10 J18.0) and Interstitial pneumonia (ICD10 J84.9) in its cot death statistics.