Safe Sleep Statistics
Alone. Apart. Always.
Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) is an umbrella category that includes all sudden, unexpected infant deaths (those with and without a clear cause). The death of an infant, under the age of one year, that is sudden, unexpected, and does not have a clear cause before an investigation is called sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is one type of SUID that occurs during sleep. There are other SUID deaths linked to how or where a baby sleeps or slept, including the following:
- Suffocation: The infant’s mouth and nose get covered by a blanket, pillow or other soft bedding.
- Strangulation: Something presses on or wraps around the infant’s neck or head.
- Entrapment or wedging: The infant’s head or body gets stuck between two objects, such as a mattress and wall, or the body of another person and a couch.
Virginia Child Protective Services (CPS) Statistics
In Virginia, local departments of social services (LDSS) investigated 83 child deaths during State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2024 that were reported to be related to unsafe sleep environments. This means the actual surface the child slept on, with whom the child was sleeping, or how the child was sleeping may have contributed to the child’s death. This also includes children who suffocated or accidently asphyxiated due to their sleep environment. Of the 83 reports:
- 100% involved a child under the age of one year.
- 45% involved a substance use component.
- 16% involved a caregiver other than a parent.
- 65% of victim children had a safe sleep space present at the time of the fatality that was not being used, was being used incorrectly, or had other unsafe sleep factors present (blankets, pillows, etc.)
Many of the sleep-related child deaths resulted in a determination by a medical examiner that the cause of death was Sudden Unexplained Infant Death (SUID). To learn more, check out the 2024 Child Maltreatment Death Investigations Report.
National Statistics
A 2024 study reported by the American Academy of Pediatrics found there are about 3,400 SUID cases in the United States every year. Of those cases, 60% involve sharing a sleep surface, and most SUID cases involve multiple unsafe sleep practices. According to the CDC, SUID rates were highest among non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native infants and non-Hispanic Black infants.
Research tells us that certain factors and situations increase the risk for SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths. Some are changeable, meaning parents and caregivers can take action to lower the risk. Others cannot be changed. Research also tells us that a safe sleep environment lowers the risk of all sleep-related infant deaths. To learn more, visit Practices - Safe Sleep 365.
