Safer sleep for babies
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There are a few important things you can do to help keep your baby safe and lower the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
This advice matters for every sleep - during the day and at night - until your baby is 12 months old.
If your baby was born early or had a very low birth weight, it’s important to follow this advice until they are 12 months past their due date.
Safest place for baby
The safest place for a baby to sleep is in their own clear, flat, firm separate sleep space (e.g. a cot or Moses basket) in the same room as you.
- lie your baby on their back
- keep their cot clear
- use a firm, flat, waterproof mattress
- keep baby smoke-free
- avoid your baby getting too hot
- sleep your baby in the same room as you for at least the first 6 months
Resources
- Safer sleep for babies 2024 - a guide for parents and carers from Scottish Government - you will get this leaflet from your midwife which explains all the safe sleep messages.
- Safer sleep advice for premature and low birth weight babies from The Lullaby Trust - you will get this leaflet from the neonatal unit staff if your baby has been born prematurely.
- Safer sleep advice for babies from The Lullaby Trust.
Smoking and SIDS
The risk of SIDS is much higher if you or your partner smoke in pregnancy or after your baby is born. Follow these steps to help keep your baby safer:
- Try not to smoke during pregnancy and after the birth - both you and your partner. If you smoke, the most protective thing you can do for your baby is to stop.
- Keep your baby out of smoky areas. Don’t let people smoke near your baby and keep your home, car, and other places your baby spends time smoke-free. Remember, it’s illegal to smoke in a car or other vehicle if anyone under the age of 18 is present.
- Don’t share a bed with your baby if you or your partner smoke, or if the baby was exposed to smoking in pregnancy.
- Even if you did smoke when you were pregnant, try not to expose your baby to smoke after birth. This alone can help reduce the risk of SIDS.
Resources
Sleep preparation routine
Creating a sleep preparation routine that follows advice on safer sleep for babies can help safer sleep become habit. It can seem challenging to follow when you are very tired and it may be tempting to do something different.
Routine is key and doing something differently to what you’d usually do can be unsafe. For example, babies who are normally slept on their backs but sometimes slept on their fronts are at higher risk of SIDS.
Resources
Sleep deprivation as a new parent is very common. This advice and video gives great safety messages to support a sleep preparation routine for you and your new family:
- My baby won’t sleep - safer sleep while you’re sleep deprived - from The Lullaby Trust.
Newborns and sleep
Every baby is very different, but sleep will be one of the most frequent questions you will be asked about as a new parent.
Babies have very small stomachs and they will feed often - including at night time. It is common for a baby up to their first birthday to wake during the night.
Resources
- Normal infant sleep (pdf, October 2023) from Baby Sleep Info Source (BASIS)
- Caring for your baby at night and when sleeping (pdf, September 2025) - from The Baby Friendly Initiative from UNICEF - information on safer sleep and coping with night time feeds
Co-sleeping
Some parents choose to share a bed with their babies, while others sometimes fall asleep with their baby without meaning to. Sleeping together with your baby is known as co-sleeping. Follow these tips to reduce the risks of co-sleeping and help keep your baby safer while they sleep.
A baby sleeping in the safest place helps lower the risk of SIDS, but many parents find themselves co-sleeping, whether they mean to or they fall asleep together unintentionally.
Co-sleeping with your baby is very dangerous if you or anyone in the bed:
- has recently drunk any alcohol
- smokes, or the baby was exposed to smoking in pregnancy
- has taken any drugs or medication that make you feel sleepy
- or if your baby was born prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) or weighed under 2.5kg (5.5 pounds) when they were born
Never fall asleep on a sofa or chair with your baby as this can significantly increase the risk of SIDS.
Resources
- Co-sleeping with your baby from The Lullaby Trust