The scientific study described as one of the most authoritative to date on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome reveals women who smoke during pregnancy are four times more likely than non-smokers to see their child fall victim to cot death.

Nine out of 10 mothers who lost babies to cot death smoked during pregnancy, according to the British study issued this week.

SIDS and Kids ACT chief executive Karen Faichney said babies were more likely to experience cot death if one or both parents smoked, particularly if parents slept with their baby.

"The Federal Government did recently put some money into the health budget to address the issue of smoking in pregnancy specifically," she said yesterday.

"I guess the downfall there is that that ends at the end of pregnancy and obviously the risk is still very much there even when the baby is born, particularly in the first two to four months of birth."

New parents should also receive stronger warnings about the dangers of smoking.

"I think there probably is more that can be done in terms of making a stronger message to new parents that the risk isn't over once you're not pregnant anymore," she said.

SIDS claimed the lives of almost 90 babies in Australia in 2005.

This was nearly double the toll for 2004, sparking concerns there was a "level of complacency" about SIDS.

The comprehensive report will make a strong case for the Government to increase the scope of anti-smoking legislation.

It even suggests a possible move to try to ban pregnant women from getting tobacco altogether.

The study, produced by Bristol University's Institute of Child Life and Health, is based on analysis of the evidence of 21 international studies on smoking and cot death. The report, co-authored by Peter Fleming, professor of infant health and developmental physiology, and Dr Peter Blair, senior research fellow, will be published this week in the medical journal Early Human Development.