Posted Sunday, December 18, 2011 --- 6:53 p.m.

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Milwaukee has one of the nation's highest infant mortality rates. Premature birth is the leading killer of babies before their first birthday, but most of those deaths happen in the first month of life.

Over the next 11 months, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, sleep-related deaths take the lead, including sudden infant death syndrome, suffocation while sleeping with an adult and asphyxiation from being wedged in the cushions of a couch.

The newspaper examined 35 sleep-related deaths in Milwaukee in the 30-month period that ended June 30. The vast majority of infants died while exposed to multiple risks.

A safe sleep environment can be summed up as ABC: Infants are safest when they sleep Alone, on their Backs, in a Crib free of blankets, pillows or other soft objects.