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Cosleeping Safety Guidelines
Here are some important safety considerations to keep in mind about babies and sleeping:
- Babies should be put to sleep on their backs
until they are at least 6 months old. Sleeping on the sides or the stomach
can increase chances of blocked air passages. However they can, and should,
be placed on their stomachs sometimes while playing.
- Don’t co-sleep
on a free-floating waterbed, extremely soft or pliable mattress,
or couch. These soft surfaces can be a suffocation hazard.
- Partner should keep
the baby between them rather than against the wall or the open side
of the bed
- Remove all extra bedding, pillows, and stuffed animals from any
bed the baby is sleeping in.
- Do not use deep-pile lambskin (more than
1-1/4”) as a sleeping
surface for baby. This can be a suffocation hazard and also collects
dust, which can affect breathing.
- Allow baby’s
limbs to be free. Do not swaddle her tightly in blankets while she
is sleeping. Babies should not be overheated while sleeping. Do not put a hat
on baby’s
head during indoor sleep times.
- Do not let baby sleep unsupervised
in a carriage or stroller.
- Do not sleep with your baby if you have been drinking
alcohol or are under the influence of any tranquilizing medications.
- Do
not encourage other people, such as babysitters or grandparents,
to sleep with a small baby. They are unlikely to have the type of awareness
of the baby during the night that you have.
- Do not allow siblings to sleep
with a baby younger than nine months.
- Do not allow anyone to smoke in any room where baby sleeps.
Article continues below
Following these basic guidelines will insure that you and your baby can safely share sleep together, just as millions of parents and babies do, all over the world.
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