Sleep & Safe Sleep

How and where your baby sleeps can lower the risk of sleep-related death, including SIDS.
A safe sleep space lowers the risk of all sleep-related infant deaths.
The risk is highest in the first six months, so safe sleep matters most early on.

Back to sleep, every time. Always lay your baby down on their back, for naps and at night.
Firm and flat. Use a crib, bassinet, or play yard that meets safety standards, with a firm, flat mattress and a fitted sheet.
Keep it bare. No pillows, blankets, bumpers, or stuffed animals in the sleep space.
Room share, do not bed share. Keep your baby's crib in your room, close to your bed, for at least the first six months. This can lower the risk of SIDS by as much as half.
Sleep is for cribs, not seats. Car seats, swings, strollers, and carriers are not for routine sleep. If your baby falls asleep in one, move them to a firm, flat surface on their back when you can.
Keep the air clean. Keep your baby away from smoke, alcohol, marijuana, and drugs.

Breastfeeding, if you can, lowers the risk
A pacifier at naps and bedtime may lower the risk.
Keep up with regular checkups and shots.
Give awake, watched tummy time during the day to build strength.
Skip products that claim to prevent SIDS. There is no proof they work, and they can give a false sense of safety.

Set up a safe crib in your room tonight: firm flat mattress, fitted sheet, and nothing else.
Use a sleep sack instead of a loose blanket to keep your baby warm.
Tell everyone who cares for your baby the same rules: back to sleep, bare crib, room not bed.

You have questions about your baby's sleep or about setting up a safe sleep space.
Your baby has trouble breathing, or seems very hard to wake.
You feel very tired, low, or overwhelmed. We care for parents too.