Swaddling babies may up their risk of SIDS

Warning to new parents.
(Image credit: iStock)

Swaddling babies may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome by about one-third, a new study in Pediatrics shows. Researchers arrived at the conclusion by analyzing four studies that included data from 2,519 infants, 760 of whom died of SIDS.

The risk, which is linked to overheating and trouble breathing, was greatest for babies sleeping on their stomachs, followed by those on their sides and then those on their backs.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.