The city has provided cribs for more than 1,600 babies since May 2007, but many more families need help, Deborah Kaplan of the health department said in a statement.

"Times are tough for New York City families," Kaplan said in a statement. "Putting your baby to sleep on his or her back in a crib with no soft bedding will lower the risk of suffocation and sudden infant death syndrome. By providing cribs and education to families in need, we can help prevent these tragedies."

Kaplan said parents and caregivers need to know that:

-- Sleeping with an adult or another child puts a baby at risk of being suffocated.

-- Babies should sleep on a firm mattress in a crib with no soft bedding. Pillows, stuffed animals and bumpers all increase the risk of suffocation. Keep babies warm with sleep sacks instead of blankets.

-- Put babies on their backs to sleep. Babies should not be put to sleep on their stomachs or on their sides.

The Fund for Public Health in New York, a non-profit organization that supports health department programs, announced an online campaign to raise money to distribute 250 cribs during the holiday season.