CPSC, Gerber, BPHC, BET Launch Campaign to Lower African-American SIDS Rates: New Survey Finds African-Americans less likely to place babies to sleep on their backs; SIDS rates twice as high as other groups The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Gerber Products Co. today released a new national survey showing that African-Americans are more likely to place their babies to sleep in ways that increase the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The survey found that more than half of African-American parents place their babies to sleep on their stomachs or sides and African-Americans are more likely to place soft bedding such as quilts,comforters or pillows in the crib with their infants. National infant mortality statistics show that African-American babies are twice as likely to die from SIDS as other babies.