Safe sleep top 10 list: Make sure everyone who cares for your baby knows the safe sleep top 10! Tell grandparents, babysitters, and other caregivers to always place him/her on his/her back to sleep in order to reduce the risk of SIDS.
- Always place your baby on their back to sleep at all times – for naps during the day and sleeping at night (even if you are watching him/her!)
- Place your baby on a firm sleep surface, such as on a safety-approved crib mattress, covered by a fitted sheet. Never place him/her to sleep on pillows, quilts, sheepskins, or other soft surfaces.
- Keep soft objects, toys, and loose bedding out of your baby’s sleep area. Don’t use pillows, blankets, quilts, and stuffed animals in his/her sleep area, and keep any other items away from his/her face.
- Do not smoke around your baby or let others smoke around him/her either.
- Keep your baby’s bed close to, but separate from, where you and others sleep. He/she shouldn’t sleep in a bed with adults or other children, but he/she can sleep in the same room as you. If you bring him/her into bed with you to breastfeed, put him/her back in a separate sleep area, such as a bassinet, crib, cradle, or bedside co-sleeper (infant bed that attaches to an adult bed) when finished.
- Think about using a clean, dry pacifier when placing him/her down to sleep (because it has been shown to decrease the risk of SIDS), but don’t force him/her to take it.
- Do not let your baby get too hot while he/she sleeps. Dress him/her in light pajamas, and keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for an adult.
- Avoid products like infant positioners and pillows that say they reduce the risk of SIDS. Most have not been tested for usefulness or safety.
- Do not use home monitors to reduce the risk of SIDS. If you have questions about using monitors for other medical reasons talk to your pediatrician.
- Reduce the chance that flat areas will develop on your baby’s head: give “tummy time” when he/she is awake and someone is watching him/her; change his/her direction in the crib from one week to the next; and avoid too much time in car seats, carriers, and bouncers.