Maternal & Newborn Atlas
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Safe infant sleep

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.

  • Care topic
  • In this atlas

Overview

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.

Scope

Sleep position, sleep surface, sleep space and related advice for babies younger than 1 year, as published by NICHD.

Life stages
  • Newborn
  • Infant follow-up
Care setting
Home and child care sleep settings.

Claims and evidence

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)
Eligibility: 1 inclusion criterion; 1 exclusion criterion
Included
  • Infants younger than 1 year
Excluded
  • The page notes babies born preterm or with certain health conditions may need different care

  • Recommendation Guidance Certainty not assessed

    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.

    Applies to Child
    • 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.
    • Home and child care sleep settings (the page lists parents, babysitters and child care providers).
    • United States (NICHD campaign)
    • Newborn and infant, younger than 1 year
    • Gestational age Not reported
    • Postnatal age Not reported
    Follow-up Not applicable (guidance and national counts)
    Certainty method
    Not assessed
    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
    Next evidence check due
    Not scheduled
    Sources and citations (6)

    1. Supports Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk (Safe to Sleep campaign)

      Webpage · Safe to Sleep campaign, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) · 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
      How it applies
      Back sleeping.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      a12fc1fa2a404f453d03180ccc705cc3970fe7c6e8cac0396d4facdaa38ae745
      Reuse basis
      NICHD disclaimer page (fetched as mj-nichd-disclaimer.html, sha256 08010c9291ae905c92c643e1625556614b3f7e6da0a7fd7b20af1781b66b3adf) says most text on the NICHD website is in the public domain and not subject to copyright, and that images and logos are not. The page bytes are not committed. Short quotations with attribution.

    2. Supports Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk (Safe to Sleep campaign)

      Webpage · Safe to Sleep campaign, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) · 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
      How it applies
      Sleep surface, part 1.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      a12fc1fa2a404f453d03180ccc705cc3970fe7c6e8cac0396d4facdaa38ae745
      Reuse basis
      NICHD disclaimer page (fetched as mj-nichd-disclaimer.html, sha256 08010c9291ae905c92c643e1625556614b3f7e6da0a7fd7b20af1781b66b3adf) says most text on the NICHD website is in the public domain and not subject to copyright, and that images and logos are not. The page bytes are not committed. Short quotations with attribution.

    3. Supports Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk (Safe to Sleep campaign)

      Webpage · Safe to Sleep campaign, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) · 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
      How it applies
      Room sharing.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      a12fc1fa2a404f453d03180ccc705cc3970fe7c6e8cac0396d4facdaa38ae745
      Reuse basis
      NICHD disclaimer page (fetched as mj-nichd-disclaimer.html, sha256 08010c9291ae905c92c643e1625556614b3f7e6da0a7fd7b20af1781b66b3adf) says most text on the NICHD website is in the public domain and not subject to copyright, and that images and logos are not. The page bytes are not committed. Short quotations with attribution.

    4. Supports Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk (Safe to Sleep campaign)

      Webpage · Safe to Sleep campaign, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) · 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
      How it applies
      Empty sleep area.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      a12fc1fa2a404f453d03180ccc705cc3970fe7c6e8cac0396d4facdaa38ae745
      Reuse basis
      NICHD disclaimer page (fetched as mj-nichd-disclaimer.html, sha256 08010c9291ae905c92c643e1625556614b3f7e6da0a7fd7b20af1781b66b3adf) says most text on the NICHD website is in the public domain and not subject to copyright, and that images and logos are not. The page bytes are not committed. Short quotations with attribution.

    5. Supports Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk (Safe to Sleep campaign)

      Webpage · Safe to Sleep campaign, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) · 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
      How it applies
      Human milk.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      a12fc1fa2a404f453d03180ccc705cc3970fe7c6e8cac0396d4facdaa38ae745
      Reuse basis
      NICHD disclaimer page (fetched as mj-nichd-disclaimer.html, sha256 08010c9291ae905c92c643e1625556614b3f7e6da0a7fd7b20af1781b66b3adf) says most text on the NICHD website is in the public domain and not subject to copyright, and that images and logos are not. The page bytes are not committed. Short quotations with attribution.

    6. Background Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk (Safe to Sleep campaign)

      Webpage · Safe to Sleep campaign, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) · 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
      How it applies
      NICHD says the advice rests on AAP Task Force recommendations.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      a12fc1fa2a404f453d03180ccc705cc3970fe7c6e8cac0396d4facdaa38ae745
      Reuse basis
      NICHD disclaimer page (fetched as mj-nichd-disclaimer.html, sha256 08010c9291ae905c92c643e1625556614b3f7e6da0a7fd7b20af1781b66b3adf) says most text on the NICHD website is in the public domain and not subject to copyright, and that images and logos are not. The page bytes are not committed. Short quotations with attribution.

Record details

Record id
maternal:safe-infant-sleep
Content hash
415c9b092f9b29a24711b9a5f2f0c730a542b38763ce4fff3572b9a93d65c596