Recurrent sudden unexpected death in infancy: a case series of sibling deaths.

Objectives: To determine the rate of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) for infants born after a previous SUDI in the same family, and to establish the causes of death and the frequency of child protection concerns in families with recurrent SUDI.

Design: Observational study using clinical case records.

Setting: The UK's Care of Next Infant (CONI) programme, which provides additional care to families who have experienced SUDI with their subsequent children.

Mortality of babies enrolled in a community-based support programme: CONI PLUS (Care of Next Infant Plus).

Objective: To report mortality in babies enrolled on a community-based programme, Care of Next Infant Plus (CONI PLUS), which primarily supports parents anxious because of previous sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) in their extended family or following an apparent life threatening event (ALTE) in their baby.

Design: Prospective observational study from 1996 to 2010 in the UK.

Results: Of 6487 babies enrolled, 37 died (5.

CONI: confirmation of continuing relevance after 20 years.

The Care of Next Infant (CONI) programme is offered through health services to provide extra support to families with babies born following a cot death. Audit of centrally collected data about families registered with the programme and feedback from parents show that compared with national data, families on CONI have more factors associated with an increased risk of cot death, confirming that a history of cot death identifies a particularly high-risk group. The programme, first offered to parents in 1988, remains attractive and helpful to parents in the 21st century.