Objective: To describe the reasons why it is difficult to decide whether to attribute some infant deaths to accidents or to SIDS.
Methodology: To extract from infant deaths data in South Australia those where the cause of death is debatable.
Results: The risks associated with rocking cradles, bed sharing, bedclothes, couch sleeping, unsafe cots or beds and the prone position are presented.
Conclusions: Uniform worldwide death scene investigations for all infant deaths should help identify unsafe sleeping conditions for infants.