The American Academy of Pediatrics is now offering parents new guidelines to prevent sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.

Dr. Hank Bernstein, of Cohen Children's Medical Center, agrees with the AAP recommendation that babies should sleep in their parents' bedroom in a crib for at least 6 months up to age 1.

"(Babies should sleep) in their own crib with a fitted sheet, but no bumpers, no stuffed animals," Bernstein says. "It's sharing the bedroom but not sharing the bed that is the most important part."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 3,500 babies die every year from SIDS and other sleep-related problems. Dr. Bernstein says he hopes that number goes down with the latest information.

Evidence from the AAP report shows that the risk of SIDS can be reduced by up to 50 percent when parents are in the same room as their baby's crib.