Safer Sleep Week 2025 is coming up on March 10-16 and The Lullaby Trust* have put together some practical advice to encourage little ones to sleep soundly – and more importantly, safely.
Published
A good sleep position
Put babies on their backs for every sleep, day and night. The best way to make sure babies sleep on their back is to do this from day one. This is the best sleeping position for a baby as the chance of SIDS is particularly high for babies who are sometimes placed on their front or side.
However, once babies can roll themselves from their back to their front, and back again by themselves, they will be able to find their own sleeping position. The first few times babies roll onto their tummy, you might like to gently turn them back, but do not feel you have to get up all night to check.
A safe place
The safest place for babies to sleep is in their own clear, flat,
separate sleep space, such as a cot or moses basket. We recommend a firm
and flat mattress in good condition, with a waterproof cover. You will
know if the mattress is firm enough, as your baby’s head shouldn’t sink
further than a few millimetres. A waterproof cover helps to keep the
mattress clean and dry.
A clear cot
Parents and carers have a massive range of sleep products to choose
from now, and it can feel overwhelming. But our advice is simple: the
safest cot is a clear cot. Babies need just two items in their cot – a
firm, flat, waterproof mattress and lightweight bedding or baby sleep
bag. Bumpers, toys, loose bedding or anything else can put little ones
at a higher risk of having their heads covered and obstruct their nose
and mouth.
...our advice is simple: the safest cot is a clear cot. Babies need just two items in their cot – a firm, flat, waterproof mattress and lightweight bedding or baby sleep bag.
A smoke-free environment
It’s known that smoking around children is not good for their health,
but the evidence is stark for smoking and SIDS, too. Smoking could be
linked to 60 per cent of sudden infant deaths. We advise not just
stopping smoking during pregnancy, but also keeping your baby, and any
places they spend time (such as a car), completely smoke-free.
A moderate temperature
Try to keep your child’s room temperature between 16 - 20°C. Use
bedding that is appropriate for the room temperature and avoid hats
indoors as they can cause overheating. Follow this safer sleep advice
until your child is at least 12 months old. For premature or low
birth-weight babies, follow this advice until 12 months after the due
date.
*The Lullaby Trust is a charity that exists to keep
babies safe and grieving families supported. It offers parents, carers
and professionals trusted advice on safer sleep; funds research into
sudden and unexpected death of babies and young children; and offers
bereavement support. It has helped to reduce the rate of sudden infant
death syndrome (SIDS) by 81 per cent since 1991 and has invested £12
million into research over the years, along with offering safer sleep
guidance which has saved thousands of babies’ lives.
