Make Safe Sleep a Habit in Your Baby's Routine 

You do everything you can to keep your baby safe and healthy. According to doctors, safe sleep habits are important to keep your baby both safe and comfortable. 

Always put babies down in the way that makes sure they can breathe. 

The key steps to safe sleep are to make sure that your infant is…

1. On their back. 
2. In a safety-approved crib, bassinet or portable playpen with a firm mattress and rails so they can’t roll out. This can be near your bed, but babies should not sleep in your bed.
3. Without loose blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, bumpers or other soft objects in the crib.

Safe sleep is about a baby’s health and our peace of mind. 

Each year, 3,400 babies in the U.S. and about 60 in Colorado die of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome (SUIDS). Following safe sleep practices is one of the best ways to protect them.

 

 

SAFE SLEEP TIPS  

• Share your room, not your bed. Co-sleeping might seem like a good way to bond with a new baby, but pillows, blankets, too-soft mattresses, and other people sleeping deeply can cause a baby’s accidental death.

 

• Always place babies to sleep on their back. Placing babies on their stomach might block their airway or cause breathing problems. Babies laid down on their side might roll over onto their stomach.

 

• Babies spit up — but sleeping on their back makes sure their nose won’t be stuck in it, and their gag reflex makes sure they won’t choke on it. 

 

• Your baby’s mattress might look too firm for you, but your bedding is too soft for them. Soft objects like stuffed animals, blankets or bumpers might block their breathing. 

 

• Keep your baby warm with a sleepsuit, sleep sack, or extra layers of clothing instead of a blanket. These are comfortable and safe.