Although there were fewer sleep-related infant deaths last year, the number of children who died before their first birthday increased in Ohio to 1,024 in 2016. The number of babies that died in their sleep actually declined by 22% in the latest data. Premature births are the leading cause of death for babies in the Buckeye State. The state legislature set aside 50-million dollars in the budget to improve birth outcomes, the majority in high risk areas, which lie in 9 metropolitan areas.