Ten Safe Sleeping Tips For Babies and Infants

Friday, January 13th, 2012 at 4:29 PM

Experts advise against allowing infants to sleep in the same bed as parents but offer these recommendations for safe sleeping:

Babies should sleep alone on their backs, in cribs, bassinets or portable playpens that meet the most current safety standards.
Do not use a drop-side crib.
Do not use bumper pads, pillows, stuffed animals or heavy blankets in cribs. Dress babies in wearable blankets for sleep.
Do not allow babies to sleep on couches, adult beds or waterbeds.
Do not allow smoking near babies.
Babies under 1 should not sleep with other children in the same bed.
Adults taking sedatives, medications or other drugs, or those who are intoxicated or excessively tired, should not bed-share with an infant.
Long hair on the mother should be tied back to prevent entanglement around the infant’s neck.
Obese adults might not be able to bed-share.
Bottle-fed babies should not bed-share but can sleep in their own bassinet or crib next to the mother’s bed.