Safety Tips for Sleeping Babies

If your baby is under 12 months old, you can help prevent SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), suffocation, and strangulation by following these three tips:

1.Place your baby to sleep on his or her back.

2.Remove all soft bedding from the crib.

3.Put your baby to sleep in a safe crib.

Why follow these tips?

Babies who sleep on their backs have a much lower risk of dying from SIDS and suffocation. African American babies die from SIDS at more than twice the rate of other babies.

A baby can suffocate from soft bedding in a crib. Be sure to remove all pillows, quilts, comforters, and sheepskins from your crib.

A safe crib is the best place for your baby to sleep. Make sure your crib has:

no missing or broken hardware and slats no more than 2 3/8" apart
no corner posts over 1/16" high
no cutout designs in the headboard or footboard
a firm, tight-fitting mattress
a safety certification seal (on new cribs)