Parents have been warned about the dangers of keeping babies too hot at night, after an unexpected rise in the number of infant deaths.

The number of babies dying from sudden infant death syndrome rose in 2013 for the first time in five years, official figures show.

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics showed 249 babies died in an unexplained way in England and Wales, the first rise since 2008.

The increase is thought to be linked to a spell of unusually cold weather early in the year.

Parents may have wrapped their babies in extra blankets as temperatures dipped, causing their infant to overheat.

The ONS said that a baby’s head may also become covered, which can be dangerous.

The average temperature that February was 2.8C (37F), some 0.9 C below the UK average.

March was even more chilly at 2.2C (36F) - the coldest since 1962 and 3.3C below average.

A total of 21 babies died in cot death-like circumstances that February, three times as many as in the same month in 2012 and double the average figure over the previous three years.

The Lullaby Trust, a charity supporting families affected by sudden infant deaths, said the figures underlined the need for parents to check that babies are not overheating.

The charity recommends putting babies sleeping in light bedding in rooms of between 16C (61F) and 20C (68F).

It said the rate of infant deaths for mothers aged under 20 rose significantly to 1.27 per 1,000 births, up from 0.92 the year before.

That is four times more than babies born to mothers aged 20 and over.

Unexplained infant deaths accounted for one in 10 of all infant deaths in 2013.

Lullaby Trust chief executive Francine Bates said: ‘Sudden infant death is devastating for families and we are deeply concerned to see that the number of unexplained deaths has risen in 2013, the first increase in five years.

‘It is shocking that the UK has one of the highest infant death rates in Europe. We call on Government and all agencies to urgently develop a national strategy to reduce these deaths and reinforce safer sleep messages to all parents, especially young parents.’

Rosemary Dodds, senior policy adviser at the National Childbirth Trust, said: ‘These figures show a potential link between overheating in cold weather and unexpected baby deaths.

‘Parents can check their baby to see if they are too hot or cold during wintry conditions by feeling the baby’s tummy or the back of their neck and adjusting their bedclothes.’

The ONS report said: ‘Two risk factors for unexplained infant death are overheating and an unsafe sleeping environment, such as the baby’s head being covered.

‘These situations may be more likely to occur during winter, through the use of extra clothing or blankets, and central heating at night.

‘The same pattern is seen in 2013, with more unexplained infant deaths occurring in the winter (28 per cent) than in the summer (22 per cent).

‘The month with the highest number of unexplained infant deaths in 2013 was February and June had the lowest.’

Last December the NHS watchdog warned mothers that falling asleep with their babies in bed was linked to sudden infant death syndrome – which used to be known as cot death.

NICE issued new guidance highlighting the dangers of so-called ‘co-sleeping’, warning that it increases the risk of baby deaths, although the exact cause is unknown.

Many mothers find themselves falling asleep with the newborn after they have finished breastfeeding during the middle of the night.

Experts are not clear what causes cot death, but it may be due to suffocation, an infection or a genetic fault. 

Written By Ben Spencer

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