The Best Way for Baby to Sleep

Environment

• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends keeping your newborn in a bassinet or crib in your room until she is a few months old. You can then let her sleep in her own room. Adjust the thermostat if the room she is sleeping in feels too hot or too cold. Make sure she will be on a firm mattress or pad with a fitted sheet in the bassinet or crib. Remove any blankets, pillows or toys since soft objects are a suffocation hazard. Your baby's sleep environment should be completely smoke-free. Running a fan could lessen the risk of SIDS by 72 percent, according to an article on the Medill Reports website (see links in References). A fan also provides white noise, which some babies find soothing.

Dress

• Put your baby in an outfit that will keep him warm enough without causing him to overheat. Do not cover his head with a hat. During cold weather, you can put him in long sleeves or a slightly heavier material such as fleece, but do not bundle him up in too many layers. Watch for signs of overheating, including a flushed face and skin that feels hot. Instead of covering him with a thin blanket, put him to bed in a sleeveless sleep sack with a bodysuit underneath for added warmth. In warmer weather, dress him in short sleeves and cotton material to keep him cool.

Position

• Always put your baby to bed on her back. Sleeping on her side makes it far more likely that she will roll onto her stomach during the night, resulting in suffocation, especially if she has not learned to roll over yet. She will be able to breathe easily through her mouth and nose while on her back. Do not use sleep positioners or any other device that claims to decrease the risk of SIDS, since these products have not been subjected to enough testing to support these claims. When leaving your baby in someone else's care, make sure they know to put her down on her back to sleep. According to the AAP, about 1 out of 5 SIDS-related deaths happens when babies are put on their stomachs to sleep by a caretaker who was not aware of the dangers associated with this position.

Pacifiers

• Give your baby a pacifier when you put him to bed. Pacifiers help cut down the risk of SIDS, and the AAP recommends using one at bedtime until your child is 1 year old. You can let him fall asleep with it, but do not replace it if it falls out of his mouth once he is out.