Hi all
Much of the recent literature on the ???causes??? of SIDS have mentioned both sleep
position and method of feeding as important factors (amongst other things).
The major studies in New Zealand and USA both found that breastfeeding was a protective
factor for SIDS, even when confounding factors such as sleep position, socioeconomic
factors etc etc were controlled for.
The work by Doren Fredrickson (described in Breastfeeding Biocultural Perspectives)
shows that the protective effect of breastfeeding is 'dose related' - more protection
if you breastfeed for more weeks, more frequently, with exclusive breastfeeding
'scoring' better than partial feeding.
Many studies don't examine the breastfeeding factor very well - eg only measure of
breastfeeding is if infants were discharged from hospital breastfeeding. Somewhat
surprisingly, even this very vague measure often showed as protective for SIDS.
Breastfeeding as a protective factor has never been made much of in the UK compared
with other countries (compare with New Zealand and Australia). Not sure why this is,
maybe concern over making mothers guilty if they don't breastfeed :(  Doesn't stop
health authorities from encouraging parents from stopping smoking around their children
- guilt seems to be a very one sided thing!!!

Sleeping position also seems to be an independent factor for SIDS. A chapter in
Breastfeeding, Biocultural......  also describes James McKenna's work on cosleeping,
and examines the relationship between sleep position, breastfeeding and cosleeping.
I have a long list of references on SIDS and breastfeeding, too long to post here.
Email me privately if you would like a copy.
As for getting funny head shapes - why don't children who are put on prone to sleep
get hatchet shaped heads from the pressure on each side of their skulls???

Fiona Coombes
whose kids have roundish heads, regardless of how they slept!!
Perth Western Australia