If you have an infant, you may be endangering him or her without even realizing it, according to the Safe to Sleep campaign by the American Academy of Pediatrics. A new survey finds that just 43.7 percent of mothers are putting babies to sleep on their backs, despite medical experts advising them to do so.

And an astounding 77.3 percent of mothers said while they usually put babies to sleep on their backs, they don’t always do it. Experts warn that this greatly raises an infant’s risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), every new parent’s worst nightmare.

It’s an alarming finding that is causing the AAP to once again raise the issue with new mothers, urging them to be consistent about putting the baby to sleep on their backs at all times.

One significant obstacle cited in the study is that many moms and caregivers feel like their baby’s sleep position isn’t up to them, and therefore they often put infants to sleep on their stomachs. Experts say that parents have to remember they are the adults and they must make decisions that are right for their children.

“Of the 3297 mothers, 77.3% reported they usually placed their infants in the supine position for sleep, but fewer than half reported that they exclusively did so,” the AAP paper states. ‘Only 43.7% of mothers reported that they both intended to and then actually placed their infants exclusively supine. African American mothers and those who did not complete high school were more likely to intend to use the prone position. Theory of planned behavior factors (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control) and doctor advice were associated with maternal choice.”