PARENTS may be putting newborn babies at risk, a charity has warned, after a survey found many were happy to let their baby sleep on their stomach or side.

The Lullaby Trust said about half of parents are unsure of basic steps they can take to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

SIDS, also known as cot death, is the sudden unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby. 

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It hit the headlines in 1991 after TV star Anne Diamond’s son Sebastian died in his cot.She launched a sleep campaign in light of research showing babies were far less likely to die if they were put to sleep on their backs.

But the Lullaby Trust is concerned some parents are unaware of or ignore this message, while others do not know about the risks of drinking and sharing a sofa with a baby. It polled 500 parents of children under two and found 15 per cent thought it was fine for children to sleep on their tummies.

One in four parents also thought it was fine for babies to sleep on their sides.

This is despite 87 per cent being aware that putting a baby on their back for every sleep reduces the risk of SIDS. Doing so reduces the risk of SIDS six times.

There were 230 sudden infant deaths in the UK in 2014. 

The trust says babies should be put to sleep on their backs in a cot that is free of bumpers, toys and pillows.

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Francine Bates, chief executive of the charity, said: “The survey results have shown us we need to go back to basics.”

Robert Weeks, whose daughter Sophia died of SIDS, said: “On January 3, 2012 our lives changed forever when our beautiful daughter Sophia died suddenly. We have still never had an explanation for why. We were one of 221 families that year whose child died for no apparent reason.”