Sids: A Parent's Guide to Understanding and Preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Rating:
Summary: Bed sharing is PROVEN unsafe for SIDS!You can't PREVENT SIDS
Review: First of all, anyone who uses the phrase, SIDS Prevention is either trying to sell you something, or doesn't know what they're talking about. You cannot prevent SIDS. Second, Sears is a huge bed sharing advocate. The US Comsumer Product Safety Commission, just concluded a 8 year study that strongly advises against bed sharing to reduce SIDS. The American Academy of Pediactrics and US Public Health Svc. backs up this study. Dr. Sears may know a lot about bonding with your baby, but please do not look to him about SIDS info. My little girl died of SIDS a in Oct. '99, and it's important to me that the correct info. gets circulated. See the SIDS Alliance web page for more information about SIDS.

Rating:
Summary: VERY Reassuring
Review: Our second child had two apparent life threatening events which statistically puts her at higher risk for SIDS. We had attachment parented our first, and felt we should do the same for our daughter who we'd almost lost. Now that we've read this book, we feel even better about following our instincts in the matter. Even the specialists have been amazed at her recovery and how she's thriving. (She'll be 1 in a couple weeks.)
I wish more parents had access to this info about the ways that co-sleeping helps babies regulate their breathing, encourages breastfeeding, in addition to providing emotional comfort. Dr. Sears debunks the myth that co-sleeping causes SIDS. The only things that we KNOW lower SIDS risk are sleeping position (hence the Back to Sleep campaign)and not smoking. But many supposed SIDS prevention programs throw in not co-sleeping.

As a childbirth educator, I will mention this book and the info it contains in all of my infant care classes.

Rating:
Summary: Very Informative
Review: This is a must read for every parent, especially since much is unknown about SIDS. The syncronization of an infant's breathing while sleeping with his/her mother is incredible. Important Note: Not much is talked about the number of babies who are killed/injured in a crib. This book addresses this important issue.

Rating:
Summary: Not enough information!
Review: We participated in a SIDS study as a control group. This book, by an M.D., has specific suggestions on the risk factors for SIDS deaths, such as sleeping position, warm room & clothes, smoking and others. Please read this book if you have an infant! Also includes some fantastic tips on parenting in general.

Rating:
Summary: Very Reassuring
Review: What a disservice to parents this book actually is. Starting with the title itself, Sears uses the printed word to mislead parents into believing that he has somehow magically found the answer to a syndrome that have baffled experts far more qualified than he. While Sears may be a credible source on some subjects, he clearly is not when it comes to SIDS.

Sears seems to use this book as his venue to tout his own personal theories - most of which are about as far from scientific fact as you can get. Because he intersperses well known facts about SIDS throughout, it seems he is purposefully trying to confuse the reader into believing that his pet theories are well accepted by the medical community and have held up to peer review.

For instance - he hypothesizes that bed sharing with an infant reduces SIDS. This has been studied by LEGITIMATE experts and to date, there is NO scientific evidence to support this claim. In fact, the adult bed with pillows, comforters and pillow top mattresses pose an INCREASED RISK for infants. Babies can and do die beside their parents, just as they do in cribs.

The tragedy of this book is that Sears, in his egotistical zeal, misleads unsuspecting parents into believing if they follow his advice, they can prevent SIDS by following *his* parenting philosophy. As many attributes that "attachment parenting" may have, prevention of SIDS is not one of them. The greatest tragedy of all, however, is that this book is available to bereaved parents. SIDS parents are well known to torture themselves with "what ifs" and Sears' junk science only adds to this with false and misleading information. That in itself makes this a publication worthy of the wood stove.