A recent study has suggested that although several caregivers agree on the importance of safe infant sleep practices, many do not know what they have to actually do to prevent sleep-related deaths from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

At Staten Island University Hospital in New York City, researchers asked caregivers of newborns about the sleep safety. They found that almost 53% of the caregivers disagreed with the use of pacifiers, which are in fact linked to a lower risk of SIDS.

The findings showed that another 62% of the caregivers believed in swaddling infants i.e. wrapping a baby tightly in a cloth, which is associated with an increased risk of SIDS.

Lead study author Dr. Sarah Varghese said there are possibilities that new parents might find it hard to discard advice from their own parents or grandparents even though recommendations about sleep safety have changed considerably from one generation to the next.

"There is a certain power surrounding 'traditional' knowledge. Both parents and health care professionals need to stay up-to-date on recommendations", said Varghese, who now works at Emory University and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

According to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, SIDS kills about four babies out of every 10,000 live births throughout the country. The numbers have come down from about 130 in 10,000 in 1990.

The authors report in the Journal of Perinatology showed that despite the dramatic decline in death from SIDS since 1992, SIDS in recent years has still remained the third leading cause of infant mortality.