When our newborn falls asleep, we might first feel relief then instant anxiety. What if something happens while they're sleeping? What if we don’t hear them? The “what ifs” can become a long list, especially in the early days.
Safe sleep practices can calm your anxiety and help prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related injuries.
Creating a safe sleep environment ensures your little one gets the rest they need to grow and thrive. Follow these 10 tips for better Zzzzzs.
1. Place Your Baby on Their Back to Sleep
Back is best! The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends infants always be placed on their backs to sleep. This position reduces the risk of SIDS compared to side or stomach sleeping. Until their first birthday, it’s safest for babies to sleep on their backs for all naps and nighttime sleep.
As your baby develops the ability to sit up and roll over, it’s okay to let them move to whatever position is comfortable for them. It’s best to lay them down on their back and let them go from there.
2. Use a Firm Sleep Surface
Soft surfaces like couches, armchairs or adult beds can increase the risk of suffocation or entrapment for babies. A firm mattress with a fitted sheet in a safety-approved crib, bassinet or play yard is the safest sleeping surface. Ensure the crib meets current safety standards and avoid using soft bedding, pillows or stuffed animals when your newborn is sleeping.
3. Keep the Sleep Area Bare
Keeping your baby's sleep area free of loose bedding, bumper pads and toys reduces the risk of suffocation. Be sure your baby’s pajamas fit them snugly. If additional warmth is needed, you can use a sleep sack or wearable blanket instead of loose blankets.
Hot Tip: Check out the best sleep sacks tested by babies and toddlers and this interactive sleep room to learn how to create a safe sleep environment!
4. Share a Room, Not a Bed
Room sharing without bed sharing is recommended for your baby’s first six months. Keeping their crib or bassinet in your room can make nighttime feedings and comforting easier while providing a safe sleep environment. Bed sharing increases the risk of SIDS and accidental suffocation, especially if you are a smoker, excessively tired or have consumed any alcohol or drugs.
5. Avoid Overheating
Overheating can increase the risk of SIDS. By dressing your baby in appropriate layers for the room temperature and avoiding hats or heavy blankets while sleeping, you’re making sleep safer for them. A temperature you or another adult would find comfortable is most likely comfortable for your baby too!
Hot Tip: A safe temperature for babies is typically 68 – 72 degrees.
6. Consider a Pacifier
Offering a pacifier at naptime and bedtime can reduce the risk of SIDS. If breastfeeding, medical practitioners recommend waiting until breastfeeding is well-established before introducing a pacifier. If the pacifier falls out while your baby is sleeping, there’s no need to put it back in.
7. Avoid Smoke Exposure
Exposure to smoke, both during pregnancy and after birth, increases the risk of SIDS. To ensure your baby’s environment is smoke-free, encourage family members and caregivers to avoid smoking around your baby. Set boundaries with those who are visiting, and if you’re smoker, be sure to take it outside and away from your kids.
8. Follow Vaccination and Checkup Schedules
Keeping up with your baby’s vaccinations and regular checkups is essential for their overall health. Vaccines help protect against diseases that could increase the risk of sleep-related deaths. Vaccines do not cause SIDS.
9. Breastfeed if Possible
Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS by up to 64% and overall infant death by 40%. When possible, the AAP recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. Continuing to breastfeed, along with introducing appropriate complementary foods, for at least the first year is also recommended.
10. Educate Family Members and Caregivers
It’s cool to share what you’ve learned! By making sure anyone who takes care of your baby — including family members, babysitters or daycare providers — is aware of safe sleep practices, you’re keeping your baby safe, even when you’re not with them.
Check out this guide for more safe-sleeping tips so you can ensure your baby sleeps safely and comfortably. By following these best practices and consulting your pediatrician with any concerns or questions about your baby’s sleep habits, you’re doing everything you can to keep your baby healthy and safe.
And don’t forget — you need good sleep too! A healthy parent makes for a healthy baby.
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