Almost nine out of ten mothers who lose a baby to cot death smoked while pregnant, say researchers.
The Bristol University team said the risk also increased with every hour babies were exposed to passive smoke after birth.

Although the number of cot deaths has fallen, those linked to smoking have risen.
The experts found that the proportion of babies who went on to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) who were born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy had risen from 57 per cent to 86 per cent.
 
The report, from the university's Institute of Child Life and Health, said that fresh messages about the dangers of smoking while pregnant had to be given to women.

Professor George Haycock, from the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths said: “If no women smoked in pregnancy, about 60% of cot deaths could be avoided. This means that in the UK the number of deaths could fall from around 300 a year to 120 a year."

Lead author Professor Peter Fleming found that for every hour a newborn was exposed to tobacco smoke, the risk increased.
He said: "A baby exposed to smoke eight hours a day was eight times more likely to die from SIDS than a baby that was never exposed. These are startling statistics. After delivery, the mother can reduce the risk by protecting her baby and not smoking near it."
 
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