Accidental Suffocation and Strangulation During Infant Sleep
Accidental Suffocation and Strangulation in Bed, or ASSB, occurs when something limits a baby's breathing, like when soft bedding or blankets are against their face or when a baby gets trapped between two objects, such as a mattress and wall. Among babies, accidental suffocation is responsible for three-fourths of all unintentional injury deaths.
More than 85% of all deaths from Accidental Suffocation and Strangulation in Bed occur from birth to 6 months of age.
Most ASSB deaths occur between birth and 4 months of age.
Deaths from ASSB are less common in babies older than 6 months.
Graphic: Icon of a birthday cake with one candle
Follow safe sleep recommendations until baby's first birthday to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death.
To reduce the risk of Accidental Suffocation and Strangulation in Bed:
Always place baby on his or her back to sleep, for naps and at night.
Graphic: Back sleeping baby icon.
Share your room with baby. Keep baby close to your bed, on a separate surface designed for infants.
Graphic: Room sharing icon.
Use a firm and flat sleep surface, such as a mattress in a safety-approved crib*, covered by a fitted sheet with no other bedding or soft items in the sleep area.
*For information on crib safety, contact the CPSC at 1-800-638-2772 or http://www.cpsc.gov.
Graphic: Crib icon.
Graphic: Safe to Sleep® logo.
Learn more http://safetosleep.nichd.nih.gov.
Graphic: Logo of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, links to links to https://www.hhs.gov/.
Graphic: Logo of the NIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, links to https://www.nichd.nih.gov/.
Graphic: Twitter logo
Graphic: Facebook logo
Graphic: Pinterest logo
Graphic: Instagram logo
Back to Accidental Suffocation and Strangulation During Infant Sleep infographic.