Oct 6, 2008 7:03 pm US/Eastern
Ceiling Fans Could Reduce Risk Of SIDS
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
As the nights cool down in New England, many of us are turning our heaters on and our fans off, but you may want to think twice about turning the fan off in your baby's room because a new study finds having a ceiling fan may reduce your baby's risk of
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Sandra Collins does everything she can to protect her baby from SIDS. "We make sure we put him on his back… We use a sleep sack, instead of a blanket, and that keeps the blanket from going over their face."
And she turns on a fan when she puts Ezzie to sleep -- a simple step that researchers say could have a critical benefit.
"In an infants sleeping room, the infant's SIDS risk was reduced by 72 percent," said Dr. Dekun Li of Kaiser Permanente.
Doctors at Kaiser Permanente say using a fan to keep a room well ventilated is one more way to prevent re-breathing. That's when a baby breathes the carbon dioxide it exhaled, which is believed to be the main cause of SIDS.
Read The Full Study"Any measure you take to reduce re-breathing, will help to reduce the risk of SIDS," said Dr. Li.
Read: Reduce The Risk Of SIDSA campaign in the early 90s to encourage parents to put babies to sleep on their backs has helped reduce SIDS by more than 50 percent. Other precautions can also help -- like eliminating soft bedding and using a pacifier.
But SIDS still kills thousands of babies. "We have roughly, about 2,500 SIDS deaths in the United States every year," said Dr. Li.
Doctors hope this new research will help parents further reduce the risk of SIDS. "I'm always eager to learn more, so I can help keep him safe," said Collins.
And keeping the fan running not only means a safer night's sleep for baby, but a more relaxed sleep for mom.
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