Sleeping safety for babies

Following tips can help you to reduce the risk of all sleep-related infant deaths:

Babies should sleep on their backs for all sleep times (for naps and at night) until their first birthday.

• Babies sleeping on their backs are much less likely to experience sleep infant death syndrome (SIDS) than babies who sleep on their stomachs or sides. If babies sleep in a side position, they can roll easily on their stomach. 
• Newborn babies should be placed skin-to-skin with their mother as soon after birth as possible, at least for the first one hour. After that or if the mother needs to sleep or cannot do skin-to-skin, babies should be placed on their backs in the crib.
• If the baby falls asleep in a stroller, swing, infant carrier or sling, move the baby to a firm sleeping surface on the back as soon as possible.

Use a firm sleep surface.

A baby should be placed in a crib or bassinet, having a tight-fitting, firm mattress and fitted sheet designed for that particular product. Except for the baby, nothing else should be in the crib.

Keep the baby's sleep area in the same room ideally for the first year.

Place your baby's crib, bassinet or portable crib in your bedroom, close to your bed. 

Never let your baby sleep on a couch, sofa or armchair.

This can be an extremely dangerous place for your baby to sleep.

Bed-sharing is not recommended for babies.

In certain situations, bed-sharing is even more dangerous. Hence, you should not share the bed with your baby if:

• Your baby is younger than 4 months.
• The baby was born prematurely or with low birth weight.
• You or any other person in the bed is a smoker.
• You have taken any medicines that might make it difficult for you to wake up.
• The surface is soft, like a waterbed, old mattress, sofa, couch or armchair.
• Soft bedding like pillows or blankets is present on the bed.

Keep all the objects that could increase the risk of entrapment, suffocation, or strangulation out of the baby's sleep area.

These include pillows, quilts, blankets, toys or similar products that are attached to crib sides. If you are concerned about your baby getting cold, you can make your baby wear infant sleep clothing, such as a wearable blanket. In general, the baby should be dressed with only one layer more than you wear.

You can swaddle your baby.

The baby must always be on his or her back when swaddled. Ensure that the swaddle is not too tight or making it hard for the baby to breathe or move his or her hips. When it looks like your baby is trying to roll over, stop swaddling.