Infant deaths due to unsafe sleeping practices can be prevented.
Parents and caregivers can use the following actions to help keep baby safe and reduce baby’s risk of dying during sleep:
- Place babies on their backs to sleep for naps and at night
- Use a sleep surface that is firm, flat, level and covered only by a fitted sheet
- Share a room with baby for the first 6 months, but give babies their own sleep space separate from your bed
- Babies should not sleep on adult beds, chairs, sofas, waterbeds, cushions, or nursing pillows.
- Keep things out of baby’s sleep area – no blankets, toys, or other objects
- Feed baby human milk, by direct breastfeeding if possible
Visit Safe to Sleep to learn more about sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and how to prevent sleep-related infant deaths
Visite la campaña Seguro al Dormir para obtener más información sobre el síndrome de muerte súbita del bebé (SIDS, por sus siglas en inglés) y otras muertes infantiles relacionadas con el sueño
Resources
- Informational Flyer: What does a safe sleep environment look like?
- Booklet: Safe Sleep for Your Baby
- Booklet: Safe Sleep for Your Grandbaby
- Video: Safe Sleep for Your Baby
- Frequently Asked Questions