Number of cot deaths in England and Wales falls to lowest on record

The number of cot deaths in England and Wales has fallen to the lowest since records began.

There were 128 sudden infant deaths in 2014, according to provisional data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). That compares with 207 in 2004, the first year the numbers were counted.

There were 212 unexplained infant deaths in England and Wales in 2014, including sudden infant deaths and deaths for which the cause remained unascertained after investigation. Just over half (55%) of all unexplained infant deaths were boys.

Related: Sharing bed with baby in first year may raise risk of sudden infant death

Rosie Amery, from the ONS’s health analysis and life events team, said: “Unexplained infant deaths in 2014 were the lowest on record, driven by a decrease in sudden infant deaths.

“A number of factors may have contributed to the fall, including warmer-than-average temperatures throughout the year, fewer women smoking at the time of delivery, and greater awareness of safer sleeping practices.”

Francine Bates, the chief executive of the Lullaby Trust, said: “Whilst it is extremely good news that Sids [sudden infant death syndrome] has gone down in England and Wales, evidence has shown that many more babies’ lives could be saved if all families had access to and followed safer sleep advice.

“It is very important that we work together to ensure safer sleep messages consistently reach all families, particularly those at increased risk such as young parents and families living in areas with higher Sids rates.”

How to avoid cot death

The NHS offers advice for avoiding sudden infant death syndrome:

Number of cot deaths in England and Wales falls to lowest on record