Until the early 1970s the traditional sleeping position for Dutch infa
nts was not prone. After a much publicised lecture in October 1987 on
the possible relation between sleeping prone and cot death, the fairly
new habit of placing infants prone is being replaced by more traditio
nal positions. The decrease in the prevalence of the prone sleeping po
sition has been documented in six studies. Since 1987 the incidence of
registered cot deaths has decreased hom 1.04/1000 live births in 1986
to 0.44 in 1991; the real decrease of sudden unexpected death in infa
ncy, however, is greater.