Operating a fan in the bedroom appears to cut SIDS deaths

A ground-breaking study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that sleeping in a room with a fan operating reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome by seventy percent.  The study was not designed to deduce "why" fans are effective, however the authors theorized that circulating air prevents or reduces "rebreathing" of exhaled carbon dioxide, which would account for increased death rates when infants sleep on their abdomens.  SIDS is the leading cause of death in children who haven't reached their first birthday.  The authors continue to recommend that parents follow previous prevention guidelines, i.e., using soft bedding and placing infants on their back to sleep.