Safe baby sleep: reducing the risk of SIDS
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is rare, and a few simple habits lower the risk a lot. This is a plain-English summary of the official NHS advice, always follow your own midwife, health visitor or doctor.
The safer-sleep basics
- Back to sleep, every sleep. Place your baby on their back, not their front or side.
- Clear, flat, firm cot. No pillows, duvets, bumpers or soft toys; feet near the foot of the cot.
- Own sleep space in your room for the first 6 months, ideally a cot or Moses basket next to your bed.
- Not too hot. Keep the room around 16-20°C and don't over-wrap.
- Smoke-free in pregnancy and after birth.
- Avoid sleeping with your baby on a sofa or armchair, and don't co-sleep if you (or a partner) smoke, have drunk alcohol, taken drugs, or your baby was premature or low birth weight.
What's normal
Newborns sleep in short bursts around the clock and wake often to feed, that's expected, not a problem to fix. Sleep gradually consolidates over the first months.
Keep an eye on the rhythm
Cubby's sleep timer logs naps and nights for you and the nanny, so you can see the pattern emerge without keeping it all in your head.
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