According to a recent study in
Pediatrics, researchers viewed hundreds of pictures of sleeping infants in popular women's magazines and rated their sleeping position. Ratings were based on guidelines by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for preventing suddent infant death syndrome (SIDS)- the leading cause of death for infants between one month and one year of age. Many pictures showed infants sleeping at a heightened risk for SIDS- on their sides, rather than on their backs! Many pictures also showed soft or loose bedding which has also been shown to increase the risk for SIDS! The AAP's other guidelines include sharing a room- NOT a bed- with the infant, avoiding sleeping environments that could overheat the child and avoiding exposure to tobacco. One image showed an infant asleep on its side atop a loose, textured blanket. What the research did not address is to what degree such images influence how parents position their infants for sleep. I'd be interested in hearing from you.
The November 2011 issue of Pediatrics publishes a revised and expanded 
