States seek ways to stop infant SIDS deaths.

• Position: On First Reading - Brief Article

Deaths from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) have been cut nearly in half in the decade following an American Academy of Pediatrics campaign to ensure babies were put to sleep on their backs.

But there are still some 2,500 cases a year. A new campaign, encouraged by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is aimed at child care providers. Studies indicate that 20 percent of SIDS-related deaths occur in child care settings.

The risk of SIDS is higher for infants who are put to sleep on their backs at home, but are put to sleep on their stomachs in child care. Babies must be put to sleep on their backs, all the time.

North Carolina has embraced the American Academy of Pediatrics campaign to put babies "Back to Sleep" and has extended the message to state child care providers. A new law, adopted this year, is designed to ensure that child care workers participate.

Representative Martha Alexander, who introduced the bill, noted that a proper sleeping position reduces the risks...