Safe Infant Sleeping Tips

“Sudden Infant Death Syndrome ("SIDS") is the leading cause of death among infants between 1 month and 1 year old.”

Safe Sleep Checklist

• Place your baby on his back to sleep – always!
• Place your baby in a safety-approved crib with a firm mattress and properly-sized, fitted sheet.
• Reduce the risk of suffocation: Keep your baby's sleep area free of pillows, soft or loose bedding, padded bumpers, and soft toys. Don't hang items over railing.
• Don't bed-share: Keep your baby's sleep area close to, but separate from, where you or others sleep to reduce the risks of smothering and suffocation.
• Prevent overheating: Dress your baby in properly-sized sleep clothing or a sleep sack. Keep the room temperature between 68-72 degrees.
• Check on your baby frequently.
• Don't smoke before or after the birth of your baby and don't let others smoke around your baby.
• Consider offering your baby a clean, dry pacifier when placing her down to sleep. If your baby is breastfeeding, wait until she is one month old or breastfeeding is firmly established before introducing a pacifier. Do not force your baby to use a pacifier. Do not reinsert the pacifier after your baby is asleep.
• Call 911 IMMEDIATELY if your baby isn't responding.

Babies Smother Easily:

• Babies are NOT SAFE sleeping on a couch, armchair, waterbed, pillow, cushion, or in a car seat.
• Babies are NOT SAFE sleeping with other children, pets, or adults.
• If you feed your baby in your bed, put her back to sleep in the safety of her own crib when she is finished.

For more safety tips and information on child protection, including information on water safety tips and window fall prevention, downloadable brochures and e-brochures to send to friends, check out the Middlesex Children's Advocacy Center's new website.