SIDS is unexpecterd, usually occurring in healthyappearing infants under 1 year of age. A SIDS death occurs quickly and usually during sleep. SIDS is rare during the first month of life. Although SIDS can occur in older infants, most SIDS deaths occur by the end of the sixth month, with the greatest number occurring in infants between 2 and 4 months of age (AAP, 2000).

In the United States, more SIDS cases are reported in the fall and winter than in spring or summer. SIDS occurs more often in boys than in girls (approximately a 60- to 40-percent male-to-female ratio). African-American and American-Indian infants are two to three times more likely to die from SIDS as other infants (AAP, 2000; NICHD, 2001). Several Government agencies are intensifying efforts to reach these populations with the latest information about SIDS.

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