Areas taking part in a programme where special baby beds are handed out to at-risk families are seeing a reduction in the number of infants dying - but Lakes District Health Board says it is too early to know what the impact is locally.
Studies show that infant mortality rates for those under 1 have dropped in the five regions using the pepi pods - a portable, baby-sized bed which enables babies aged up to 6 months to have their own space and be close beside a caring adult at all times, yet safe from suffocation.
The drop comes as research this week showed that bed sharing between adults and young babies multiplies the child's risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome five times, even if the parent is a non-smoker and hasn't consumed drugs or alcohol.
Infant deaths dropped from 12 in 2010, to 11 in 2011 and seven last year. However these figures include all deaths of those under 1 and not just those related to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Pepi pods have been handed out to vulnerable Rotorua babies as part of an initiative between the Rotorua Child Health Trust and Lakes District Health Board.