Recommendations for Safe Baby Sleep
Should a baby sleep on their back or in another position?
Short answer: On their back.
Should I use a blanket when the baby is sleeping?
Short answer: No. Only the baby, sleeping alone, dressed in pajamas appropriate for the temperature, and placed in a sleep sack suitable for the room temperature.
Can I place toys and pillows in the baby’s crib while they are sleeping?
Short answer: No. Only the baby, sleeping alone, dressed in pajamas appropriate for the temperature, and placed in a sleep sack suitable for the room temperature.
In more detail:
Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Safe Sleep – Overview
Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID), which includes Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), is the leading cause of injury death in infancy. Sleep is a big challenge for families with babies, but following safe sleep recommendations can prevent many SUID fatalities. Help the families in your practice learn how their babies can sleep safely so parents can sleep soundly.
The rate of sleep-related infant death declined significantly in the 1990s after the AAP and others recommended that babies be placed on their backs to sleep, but rates have since plateaued, and SIDS remains the leading cause of postneonatal mortality. Black and Native American/Alaska Native infants die at rates more than double that of white babies. Pediatricians should support all families in implementing recommendations that reduce the risk of sleep-related infant death:
- Place infants on their backs for sleep in their own sleep space with no other people.
- Use a crib, bassinet or portable play yard with a firm, flat mattress and a fitted sheet. Avoid sleep on a couch or armchair or in a seating device, like a swing or car safety seat (except while riding in the car).
- Keep loose blankets, pillows, stuffed toys, bumpers and other soft items out of the sleep space.
- Breastfeed if possible and avoid smoking.
from the website of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP.org)
When can I move the baby to a separate room on their own?
Short answer: Not before 6 months of age. (Some psychologists even recommend not before the age of 2.)
In more detail:
- Babies in their own sleep space are at lower risk for injury and death from SIDS and situations like an adult or sibling accidentally rolling over them.
- Room sharing by putting baby’s sleep space near but not in your bed is safer than sharing your bed with baby. It is also safer to share your room with baby than to put baby in their own room.
- Keeping baby’s sleep space close to your bed makes it easy to check on, feed, and comfort baby without having to get all the way out of bed.
- If you are bringing baby into your bed for feeding or comforting, before you start, remove or clear away all soft items and bedding from your side of the bed. This may help prevent suffocation in case you fall asleep. When finished, put baby back in their own sleep space close to your bed.
- If you fall asleep while feeding or comforting baby in your bed, put them back in a separate sleep area as soon as you wake up. Research shows that the longer an adult shares a bed with baby, the higher baby’s risk for suffocation and other sleep-related death.
- Couches and armchairs are never safe places for babies to sleep. These surfaces are extremely dangerous when an adult falls asleep while feeding, comforting, or snuggling with baby. Do not let babies sleep on these surfaces alone, with you, with someone else, or with pets.
- Sharing an adult bed, couch, or armchair with baby can be risky, especially in some situations.
from the website of Safe to Sleep by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in the United States (safetosleep.nichd.nih.gov)
✅ Don’t let your baby get overheated.
Overheating can increase the risk of SIDS. Your baby only needs one more layer than you would wear in the same environment to be comfortable.
- Check your baby for signs of overheating such as sweating, a hot chest or flushed skin.
- Don’t put a hat on your baby while indoors once you’re home from the hospital.
from the HealthyChildren.org website, last updated on their website on January 8, 2026.
Read this blog article as well: “More Ideas That Could Help Reduce the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome/SIDS.”
* Most of these materials are sourced from original English-language sources. The translations were created with the help of Google Translate and ChatGPT. For the most complete and accurate information, please always refer to and verify the original source first. For the most complete and accurate information, please always refer to and verify the original source of the information.
Check the latest information on the topic yourself
Cited Sources
- Safe Sleep AAP.org
- Ways to Reduce Baby’s Risk safetosleep.nichd.nih.gov
- How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained healthychildren.org
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