# Safe infant sleep Care topic · id `maternal:safe-infant-sleep` · Maternal & Newborn Atlas · release `c7fb95f1d15a7d13` (public) > General information from published sources, not medical advice, and not reviewed by clinicians. Check the cited source before relying on anything here. The atlas's own text and curation may be reused under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/): credit the atlas, and do not use it commercially. See the atlas About page. Text quoted from a source stays under that source's own terms, given as the source's reuse\_basis. The atlas's reuse terms do not cover it. The downloads list each quotation with its source in third\_party\_quotations. Browse, life stage: Newborn; Infant follow-up Browse, care area: The baby's first year ## In plain language How and where a baby sleeps affects the risk of sudden infant death and other sleep-related deaths. NICHD's Safe to Sleep campaign advises putting babies on their backs for every sleep, on a firm, flat, level surface with nothing in the sleep area but a fitted sheet, in their own sleep space in the parents' room, and feeding human milk. ## Technical summary The Safe to Sleep campaign page lists back sleeping, a firm, flat, level surface covered only with a fitted sheet, room sharing without bed sharing for at least the first 6 months, an empty sleep area, and feeding human milk, and says its actions are based on the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on SIDS; the atlas did not read that policy statement (see the claim on this page). The page also covers bed sharing risks, car seats and other situations that are not summarised here. The US-authorised SNOO Smart Sleeper is a separate record. The recipient is the infant, and the caregiver acts on the advice. ## Claims, with the population each applies to ## Context: Infants younger than 1 year in the United States and their caregivers (NICHD Safe to Sleep) Recipient: Child; Population: Babies younger than 1 year of age and the people who care for them. The Safe to Sleep campaign addresses parents, grandparents, other relatives, babysitters, child care providers and anyone who might care for a baby. Counts on the page are for the United States.; Care setting: Home and child care sleep settings (the page lists parents, babysitters and child care providers).; Geography: United States (NICHD campaign); Life stage: Newborn and infant, younger than 1 year; Gestational age: Not reported; Postnatal age: Not reported; Follow-up: Not applicable (guidance and national counts) ### NICHD's Safe to Sleep campaign advises that babies be placed on their backs to sleep for naps and at night, and says it is not safe to place babies on their sides or stomachs to sleep, not even for a nap. It advises a sleep surface that is firm, flat and level and covered only with a fitted sheet; sharing a room, but not a bed, with the baby for at least the first 6 months, with the baby in their own sleep space; keeping everything except a fitted sheet out of the sleep area; and feeding human milk, as by breastfeeding. NICHD says these actions are based on the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on SIDS. - Category: Recommendation - Evidence stage: Guidance - Certainty: Certainty not assessed - Applies to: Recipient: Child; Population: Babies younger than 1 year of age and the people who care for them. The Safe to Sleep campaign addresses parents, grandparents, other relatives, babysitters, child care providers and anyone who might care for a baby. Counts on the page are for the United States.; Care setting: Home and child care sleep settings (the page lists parents, babysitters and child care providers).; Geography: United States (NICHD campaign); Life stage: Newborn and infant, younger than 1 year; Gestational age: Not reported; Postnatal age: Not reported; Follow-up: Not applicable (guidance and national counts) - Limitations: This is a summary of the campaign's public advice. The atlas did not read the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement on which NICHD says the advice is based, so the advice is attributed to NICHD and not to that statement. The page states that babies born preterm or with certain health conditions may need different care, and it gives sections on specific situations that are not summarised here. The advice reduces risk and is not a guarantee. A baby's doctor can advise on a baby's own situation. - Last checked: 2026-10-14 - Sources: 1. Supports: Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk (Safe to Sleep campaign) (Webpage, edition The page as shown on 2026-10-14. The page carries no edition date. It says its actions are based on the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; the atlas did not read that policy statement.) Locator: Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk, bullet 1. Retrieved 2026-10-14T18:21:28Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: a12fc1fa2a404f453d03180ccc705cc3970fe7c6e8cac0396d4facdaa38ae745. How it applies: Back sleeping. 2. Supports: Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk (Safe to Sleep campaign) (Webpage, edition The page as shown on 2026-10-14. The page carries no edition date. It says its actions are based on the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; the atlas did not read that policy statement.) Locator: Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk, bullet 2. Retrieved 2026-10-14T18:21:28Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: a12fc1fa2a404f453d03180ccc705cc3970fe7c6e8cac0396d4facdaa38ae745. How it applies: Sleep surface, part 1. 3. Supports: Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk (Safe to Sleep campaign) (Webpage, edition The page as shown on 2026-10-14. The page carries no edition date. It says its actions are based on the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; the atlas did not read that policy statement.) Locator: Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk, bullet 4. Retrieved 2026-10-14T18:21:28Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: a12fc1fa2a404f453d03180ccc705cc3970fe7c6e8cac0396d4facdaa38ae745. How it applies: Room sharing. 4. Supports: Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk (Safe to Sleep campaign) (Webpage, edition The page as shown on 2026-10-14. The page carries no edition date. It says its actions are based on the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; the atlas did not read that policy statement.) Locator: Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk, bullet 5. Retrieved 2026-10-14T18:21:28Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: a12fc1fa2a404f453d03180ccc705cc3970fe7c6e8cac0396d4facdaa38ae745. How it applies: Empty sleep area. 5. Supports: Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk (Safe to Sleep campaign) (Webpage, edition The page as shown on 2026-10-14. The page carries no edition date. It says its actions are based on the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; the atlas did not read that policy statement.) Locator: Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk, bullet 3. Retrieved 2026-10-14T18:21:28Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: a12fc1fa2a404f453d03180ccc705cc3970fe7c6e8cac0396d4facdaa38ae745. How it applies: Human milk. 6. Background: Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk (Safe to Sleep campaign) (Webpage, edition The page as shown on 2026-10-14. The page carries no edition date. It says its actions are based on the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; the atlas did not read that policy statement.) Locator: Introduction, paragraph 2. Retrieved 2026-10-14T18:21:28Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: a12fc1fa2a404f453d03180ccc705cc3970fe7c6e8cac0396d4facdaa38ae745. How it applies: NICHD says the advice rests on AAP Task Force recommendations. ## Connected pages - Safe sleep steps aim to lower the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related deaths: Sudden infant death syndrome and sleep-related infant death (`maternal:sudden-unexpected-infant-death`) - Filed under this front: Care programmes and follow-up (`maternal:front-care-programmes-and-follow-up`) - Related to: SNOO Smart Sleeper (infant bassinet with supine-position system) (`maternal:snoo-smart-sleeper`) - Related to: Reading path: your baby's first year (`maternal:reading-path-first-year`) - Related to: NICHD Safe to Sleep campaign (`maternal:safe-to-sleep-campaign`) ## Provenance Content hash: 415c9b092f9b29a24711b9a5f2f0c730a542b38763ce4fff3572b9a93d65c596 Last substantive edit: 2026-10-14 Evidence last checked: 2026-10-14