How can you put a newborn to sleep safely?

Which position should your baby sleep in?

Place your baby on their back at the start of every sleep until their first birthday. Side sleeping is unstable and can make it easier to roll onto the stomach. Tummy time is for when your baby is awake and an adult is watching continuously. The starting position is the same at night, during the day and for short naps.

It is understandable to worry that back sleeping might cause choking when your baby spits up. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend back sleeping on a flat surface even for babies with reflux. Airway anatomy and the gag reflex help protect them. If your baby has a particular medical condition, ask their clinician for an individual plan rather than changing their sleeping position yourself.

What does a safe sleep surface look like?

Use a cot, Moses basket, portable cot or play yard that meets applicable safety standards. The surface must be firm, flat and level, without noticeably sinking under your baby’s weight. The mattress must fit the product properly, with only a tightly fitted sheet over it. Do not use a cot with broken or missing parts or without its instructions.

Remove pillows, loose sheets and blankets, comforters, stuffed toys, bumpers, cushions, baby nests and positioners from the sleep space. Weighted sleeping bags, swaddles and blankets are not safe for babies. Marketing a product as comfortable or suitable for reflux does not make it a safe place to sleep.

What is the difference between sharing a room and sharing a bed?

Use a separate cot or Moses basket in your room for every sleep during at least the first six months. This makes feeding and checking on your baby easier while keeping adult bedding away.

Return your baby to the cot after feeding. Never sleep together on a sofa or armchair. Do not share a bed if your baby was premature or had low birth weight, or if either adult smokes, has consumed alcohol or has taken drugs or medicine that causes drowsiness. Ask your midwife or health visitor about safer-sleep planning if you might fall asleep during a feed.

How can you plan night feeds when you are very tired?

Falling asleep with a baby on a sofa or armchair is particularly dangerous because of soft surfaces and gaps where a baby can become trapped. Before feeding, notice how sleepy you feel. If possible, ask another adult to stay with you and help you return your baby to the cot afterward. An alarm may remind you, but it cannot prevent you from falling asleep or guarantee safety.

Exhaustion is not a personal failure; it is a predictable part of newborn care. Rather than relying only on willpower, prepare water, care supplies and a safe sleep space before the night begins. Discuss sharing care with anyone who can support you.

What if your baby falls asleep in a car seat, swing or bouncer?

A car seat used correctly in a vehicle is for safe travel. Swings, bouncers, carriers and inclined products are not routine sleep surfaces. If your baby falls asleep in one, transfer them to a firm, flat, safe sleep surface on their back as soon as practical and safe.

Do not raise the head of the cot mattress for reflux or put towels or wedges underneath it. An incline can cause your baby to slide into a position that affects their airway. Home breathing and oxygen monitors do not replace a safe sleep setup and have not been shown to prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

What changes with swaddling and rolling?

If you choose to swaddle, place your baby only on their back. Do not squeeze their chest; allow room for hip and leg movement and avoid overheating. Swaddling is not a method of reducing SIDS risk, and weighted swaddles should not be used. Stop swaddling as soon as your baby shows signs of trying to roll, even if this happens earlier than expected.

Continue to start every sleep on your baby’s back. Once they can comfortably roll from back to stomach and from stomach to back by themselves, you do not need to keep turning them over throughout the night. Their sleep space must still be clear. Newborns are not expected to have this skill, so do not change their starting position.

How can you dress your baby without overheating?

An appropriately sized, non-weighted baby sleeping bag is an option instead of a loose blanket. NHS guidance suggests a room temperature of around 16–20°C. Adjust clothing to the room and sleeping bag instructions, and check the chest or back of the neck for heat or sweating.

Keep the head and face uncovered. Remove hats indoors and avoid hot-water bottles, electric blankets and sleeping beside a heater. NHS guidance also allows suitable lightweight bedding; this guide uses a sleeping bag and a clear cot as its practical setup.

What can you check today?

Clear the cot: apart from a fitted sheet, check that there are no pillows, loose bedding, toys, bumpers or positioners.

Place your baby on their back for every sleep and share the same three rules with other carers: back sleeping, a flat surface and a clear cot.

Decide where you will feed at night and who can help if you become sleepy. Keep sofas and armchairs out of the plan.