Safe sleep for babies. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a parent’s worst nightmare. While there is no guarantee against SIDS, there are steps parents can take to reduce the likelihood of SIDS. Listed below are recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the United Kingdom’s National Health Service.
- Place your baby on his or her back for all sleep times—naps and at night.
- Use a firm, flat (not at an angle or inclined) sleep surface, such as a mattress in a safety-approved crib, covered by a fitted sheet to reduce the risk of suffocation or wedging/entrapment.
- It is recommended that infants sleep in the parents’ room, close to the parents’ bed, but on a separate surface designed for infants (e.g. a crib or bassinet), ideally for at least the first 6 mos.
- Keep soft bedding such as blankets, pillows, bumper pads, quilts comforters, and soft toys out of your baby’s sleep area.
- Do not cover your baby’s head (tuck in blankets no higher than baby’s shoulders) or allow your baby to get too hot. Signs your baby may be getting too hot include sweating or his or her chest feels hot.
- If wearing your baby in a sling or carrier, do not cover their head with the sling material or with a muslin
- Do not smoke or use nicotine during pregnancy, and do not smoke or allow smoking around your baby.
- Do not drink alcohol or use illegal drugs during pregnancy.
- Feed your baby breastmilk.
- Visit your baby’s healthcare provider for regular checkups. Your baby will receive important shots to prevent disease.
- Offer your baby a pacifier at nap time and bedtime. If you are breastfeeding your baby, you may want to wait to use a pacifier until breastfeeding is well-established.
- Do not use home cardiorespiratory monitors as a strategy to reduce the risk of SIDS.
- Place your baby in the “feet to foot” position, with their feet at the end of the cot or Moses basket
- Never sleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair
- Get medical help quickly if your baby is unwell
- Supervised, awake tummy time is recommended to facilitate development and to minimize the risk of positional plagiocephaly. Parents are encouraged to place the infant in tummy time while awake and supervised for short periods of time beginning soon after hospital discharge, increasing incrementally to at least 15 to 30 min total daily by age 7 wk.