Babies in magazines may be at SIDS risk

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- What doctors recommend to prevent sudden infant death syndrome is not always depicted in women's magazines, U.S. researchers found.

SIDS researchers Dr. Rachel Moon, a pediatrician, and Brandi Joyner at Children's National Medical Center in Washington analyzed pictures of sleeping infants in 24 magazines with wide circulation among 20- to 40-year-old women.

The researchers evaluated pictures -- including articles and advertisements -- for sleep positions, including whether or not a baby was placed on its side or stomach rather than on its back, as well as hazards in infant sleeping environments, including soft bedding.

The study, scheduled to be published in the September issue of Pediatrics, found more than one-third of photos in women's magazines depicted babies in unsafe sleep positions and two-thirds of sleep environments depicted in these magazines were unsafe.

"The most important thing for moms to realize is that what they see in magazines may not be what's best for their baby in real life," Moon said in a statement.

To reduce the risk of SIDS, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends babies be placed on their backs when sleeping, on a separate sleep surface from their parents, without blankets pillows, or other soft bedding.