Final answer:
Two main protective factors against SIDS are placing infants on their backs to sleep and ensuring the sleeping environment is free of soft bedding and toys, like blankets, pillows, and padded crib bumpers.
Step-by-step explanation:
There are several protective factors against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which is the unexpected and unexplained death of an infant during sleep. Two main protective practices recommended by health authorities including the American Academy of Pediatrics include placing infants on their backs to sleep and keeping the crib free of soft bedding and toys. Specifically, the Safe to Sleep campaign highlights the importance of these actions in reducing the risk of SIDS. The back-sleeping position reduces the chance of obstructing the infant's airway, while the absence of soft objects minimizes the potential for suffocation, overheating, and entrapment that can lead to SIDS.
Parents and caregivers can also prevent overheating by dressing infants appropriately for the environment and ensuring there is good ventilation in the sleep area. It's important to note that infants should be placed to sleep in their own crib, on a firm mattress, without blankets, pillows, or padded crib bumpers. Research, including studies by Mitchell (2009) and the Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (2011), has shown that these measures have contributed to the decline in SIDS rates in recent years.