A new study has discovered that keeping a fan in the baby’s room lowers his risks of sudden infant death syndrome by 72%. The study also shows that the space where the baby sleeps is very important in the risk of SIDS. SIDS is the usual diagnose when a baby dies and his death can’t be explained by any other environmental factors.

Researchers explained in The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine that keeping a fan inside a baby’s room excludes the cause of infant death because the air is refreshed and this decreases the risk of inhaling exhaled carbon dioxide. The risk of SIDS is higher when the baby sleeps on its stomach.

If the little babies are put to sleep on their back and not on their stomach, their risk of sudden death drops. A national „Back to Sleep” campaign has been promoting among parents this kind of care for their infants and has shown really good results: since 1992 the rate of SIDS has decreased by more than a half to one death per 2,000 babies.

Soft bedding and overheating of a baby’s room is totally forbidden as to avoid sudden death, The American Academy of Pediatrics said. The researchers also advised the parents to allow babies use a pacifier instead of the soft bedding. SIDS is still the number one cause of death among babies younger than one year.

Dr. De-Kun Li, a reproductive and prenatal epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente’s division of research in Oakland, Calif., stated that “Even though we don’t know why certain babies are more susceptible, sleeping environment matters. If parents wanted to do more to reduce the baby’s SIDS risk, they can add a fan,” he added.