Babies sleep safest Alone, on their Backs, in a Crib for nighttime, nap time and every time
Sleep-related infant death is the leading cause of infant mortality from one month to one year of age. Sleep-related infant death can result from unintentional suffocation/strangulation. The best way to prevent sleep-related deaths is for all parents and caregivers to provide a safe sleeping environment for infants.
Safe Sleep should not be confused with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Sleep-related deaths are almost entirely preventable; true SIDS deaths are not. With continued education we are learning that many infant deaths that would have previously been identified as SIDS are now being determined as sleep-related deaths.
To prevent sleep-related infant deaths, practice your ABC's for every sleep:
- Bring your baby in your room with you, but in their own sleep space
- Sharing a room - but not a bed - at night will allow you to comfort your baby in times of need
- Sharing a sleep surface with an infant is extremely dangerous
Dangers include:
- An infant may not be able to move their head to breathe
- Infants may easily be wedged, trapped, or rolled over on when sharing a sleep surface
- Blankets, pillows, and other soft bedding items can cause suffocation
Room sharing makes it easier to:
- Feed
- Comfort
- Monitor your baby while they sleep
Placing your baby to sleep on their back is not only safer, but research shows babies who sleep on their back have:
- Fewer ear infections
- Fewer fevers
- Fewer stuffy noses
-A baby should be placed on their back to sleep every time (for naps and at night).
-Sleeping on their back does NOT increase the risk of choking if an infant spits up. In fact, an infant is actually less likely to choke if they are on their back.
-Placing a baby to sleep on their side is also dangerous. Babies on their side can easily roll to their stomach. Side sleeping can also cause:
- Lack of oxygen
- Too much carbon dioxide
- Suffocation
- Your baby's crib/bassinet/portable crib/pack n play should only contain a fitted crib sheet.
- Items placed in a crib can get too close to the baby's face and head and can block the baby's airway, causing suffocation or strangulation.
- If you are worried your baby may get cold, dress them in a wearable blanket (like a sleep sack) or pajamas with feet. You can also swaddle, but this should be stopped as soon as the baby shows signs of rolling over. Once a baby starts rolling over, a swaddle can be a suffocation or strangulation risk.
- If your baby falls asleep somewhere else other than a crib/bassinet/portable crib, move them to their safe sleep space as soon as possible.
- When sleeping in a car seat, bouncer or other device that is not a crib, the baby is at risk of suffocation. Their head can fall forward, and they can get into a position that blocks their airway.
Safe Late-Night Feedings to Ensure Safe Sleep:
- If a parent feels they must bring a baby into bed for a feeding, it is important they stay awake and return the baby to their crib afterwards.
To avoid potential hazards while feeding baby in bed:
- Remain sitting up
- Keep all pillows, blankets, and soft bedding away from baby
- Ensure bed is a firm mattress
- Be sure to put baby back in crib (next to bed) after feeding
- If the parent does fall asleep while feeding, put baby back in his/her sleep space as soon as awake
Ways to stay awake during late-night feedings:
- Keeping the lights on
- Setting an alarm
- Playing on a device (such as a phone)
- Informing another adult in the home, so they can remind you to put your baby back to bed
- Watch television
- Sit upright in a chair, not on a sofa or in a reclined chair
The most dangerous place to lay down or feed a baby when you're tired is a recliner or a couch. A baby can easily get trapped between cushions, their caregiver, or other objects that can lead to suffocation and entrapment.