Swaddling babies may up their risk of SIDS

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last updated 10 May 2016

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.

"We already know that side and prone sleeping are unsafe for young babies, so the advice to place children on their backs for sleep is even more important when parents choose to swaddle them," lead study author Anna S. Pease told The New York Times.

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Pease suggests parents stop swaddling children when they're between 4 and 6 months old, which is about the time they start rolling over.

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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.