Safe Sleep Basics
Where your baby should sleep and how to reduce risk
The Safe Sleep Guidelines
Safe sleep recommendations exist to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and accidental suffocation. They apply for the first year of life, especially the first 6 months when risk is highest:
Room Sharing vs. Bed Sharing
Room sharing (the baby sleeps in your room on a separate surface) is the safest arrangement and is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. It reduces the risk of SIDS by up to 50 percent while keeping the baby close for feeding and comforting. Bed sharing carries higher risks, but many families choose it. If you decide to bring the baby into your bed: no smoking in the household (this is the biggest risk factor), no alcohol or sedating medications, use a firm mattress (not a waterbed or soft surface), keep pillows and heavy blankets away from the baby, and never fall asleep with the baby on a couch or armchair, that is extremely dangerous.
Temperature, Pacifiers, and Swaddling
Keeping the room at a comfortable temperature between 68 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit reduces SIDS risk. Overheating is dangerous. Signs of overheating include sweating, a hot chest, or flushed skin. Using a ceiling fan in the room further reduces risk by circulating air. Offering a pacifier at naptime and bedtime is protective, if breastfeeding, wait until it is well established, around 3 to 4 weeks. If you swaddle, use a breathable cotton blanket, leave room for the baby's hips to move in a frog-leg position, and stop swaddling as soon as the baby shows signs of rolling, around 3 to 4 months. A baby who rolls while swaddled is at higher risk of suffocation.