SAFER SLEEP ADVICE

It is not known why some babies die suddenly from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), or cot death. Research suggests that placing your baby to sleep on their back lowers the risk. Exposing a baby to cigarette smoke or allowing them to overheat also increases the risk to a baby. SIDS is rare, so it is important this does not stop you and your family enjoying your baby’s first few weeks and months. The NHS has some great advice, so if you would like to know more about preventing SIDS please click here.

In addition, the Lullaby Trust provides parents/carers with simple steps around ways to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, along with lots of other valuable information around safe sleep, including co-sleeping with your baby.

✔ Always place your baby to sleep on their back, with their feet at the bottom of the cot.

✔ Keep your baby smoke free at all times.

✔ The safest place for your baby to sleep is on their own sleep surface, in the same room as you, for at least the first six months.

✔ Use a firm, flat waterproof mattress that is in good condition and fits the Moses basket or cot properly.

✘ Never sleep on a sofa or armchair with your baby, this can increase the risk of SIDS by 50 times.

✘ Avoid letting your baby become too hot. A room temperature of 16-20°C – with light bedding or a lightweight, well-fitting baby sleep bag – is comfortable and safe.

✘ Don’t cover your baby’s face or head while sleeping. Don’t use loose bedding, tuck in blankets and sheets, and keep sleep surface clear of pillows & toys.

✘ Don’t add extra padding to travel cots.

✘ Don’t incline, tilt or prop the mattress or baby.

It is particularly risky to share a sleep surface with your baby if:

• You or your partner  smokes (even if you do not smoke in the bedroom).
• You or your partner has drank alcohol or taken drugs (including medications that may make you drowsy).
• You are extremely tired.
• Your baby was born premature (37 weeks or less).
• Your baby was born at a low weight (2.5kg or 5½ lbs or less).

We created a Welcome to the World card, which can be shared with new families to help them learn the basics of safer sleep.

You can download the card for free, should you wish to share it with a someone you know.

Download the ‘Welcome to the World‘ card.

National

Safer Sleep Week is an annual awareness event ran by The Lullaby Trust to raise awareness of sudden infant death syndrome  (SIDS) and to equip parents with information on how they can reduce the risk.

The focus of the Lullaby Trust 2023 campaign is co-sleeping. The safest place for a baby to sleep is in their own clear, flat, separate sleep space, such as a cot or Moses basket.

However, we know that many parents find themselves co-sleeping whether they mean to or not. Wherever you’re planning for your baby to sleep, we recommend making your bed a safer place for baby. Learn more about co-sleeping with The Lullaby Trust’s online resources here.

Local

This year, we have been working with our partner organisations across the Hull and the East Riding to understand whether safer sleep information is universally known to wider family members, such as fathers, partners and grandparents who may be supporting or be responsible for placing a baby to sleep. We ran a local survey at the beginning of 2023 to gather as much information as possible around this subject. We found that out of 77 respondents only 7 were male.

One respondent stated: “Fathers/partners don’t seem to get any advice on safer sleep. It seems like mum is expected to take on all the information.”

Another respondent said: “Having something physical that can be left around a house for other family members to pick up and read might be helpful.”

Help is at hand with our updated Welcome to the World card. Click here to read.

When having a baby, the support around you can be invaluable. However, quite often the people in your life have not attended the same meetings and appointments as you, and it can be tough to keep them informed. This card acts as a tool to bridge that gap and keep all caregivers in-the-know of the latest safer sleep good practices.

For safer sleep week we are also out and about in child health clinics, shopping centres and supermarkets across Hull and the East Riding spreading the safer sleep messages.