Your midwife and health visitor will talk to you about how to sleep your baby safely when you are pregnant and after your baby is born. This is to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). We follow Lullaby Trust guidelines:
- For the first 6 months your baby should sleep in your bedroom, in their own cot/crib or mosses basket next to your bed.
- Your baby should be laid down on their back with their feet at the foot of the sleeping space.
- Your baby should not wear a hat indoors as this may cause them to overheat.
- The mattress should be new, firm, flat and waterproof.
- Babies don’t need bedding, pillows or other items (like teddies, cot bumpers, sleep pods) around them as these could cover their face.
- The recommended room temperature is between 16 – 20 degrees celsius, if you’re worried about maintaining the room temperature, you can talk to your health visitor.
- Do not sleep with your baby on a sofa or chair as this is very dangerous.
- Breastfeeding can help lower the risk of SIDS.
Co-sleeping
Some families choose to co-sleep with their babies. This means they share a bed with their baby during the night, not just to feed or comfort. We do not recommend co-sleeping:
- If either you or your partner smokes.
- If either you or your partner has drunk alcohol or taken drugs.
- If either you or your partner has taken prescribed medication that might make you feel drowsy.
- You are extremely tired.
- Your baby was premature (born at 37 weeks or earlier).
- Your baby had a low birth rate (5 1/2 pounds or less).
- Read more about safer sleep
Find out more about co-sleeping from The Lullaby Trust here.
Safer sleep advice
The Lullaby Trust can give you safer sleep advice, information, fact sheets and some videos on
- Room tempreture
- Safer sleep in winter
- Covid and caring for your baby
- Sleep postition
- Car seats and SIDs
- Mattress and bedding
- Swaddling and slings
- Dummies
- Baby Check App
- What is sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)?
- Room sharing
- Coping with sleep deprivation as a new parent
- A clear cot
- Breastfeeding
- Immunisations and SIDS
- Smoking
- Dads zone
How to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
This video contains further advice of how to reduce the risk of SIDS:
Useful Links
