Newborns usually sleep around 18 to 20 hours each day. To help your newborn sleep safely and soundly and prevent SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), ensure the following:

  • Place the infant on his or her back for all sleeping until the child is 1-year-old. This can decrease the risk for SIDS, aspiration, and choking. Never place the baby on his or her side or stomach for sleep or naps. If the baby is awake, allow the child time on his or her tummy as long as there is supervision. This helps the child build strong tummy and neck muscles. This will also help minimize flattening of the head that can happen when babies spend so much time on their backs.
  • Offer the baby a pacifier for sleep or naps. If the child is breastfeeding, do not give the baby a pacifier until breastfeeding has been fully established. Breastfeeding is associated with reduced risk of SIDS.
  • Use a firm mattress (covered by a tight fitted sheet) to prevent gaps between the mattress and the sides of a crib, play yard, or bassinet. This can decrease the risk of entrapment, suffocation, and SIDS.
  • Don’t put a pillow, heavy blankets, or stuffed animals in the crib. These could suffocate the baby.
  • Swaddling (wrapping the baby tightly in a blanket) may cause your baby to overheat. Don't let your child get too hot.
  • Avoid placing infants on a couch or armchair for sleep. Sleeping on a couch or armchair puts the infant at a much higher risk of death, including SIDS.
  • Avoid using infant seats, car seats, and infant swings for routine sleep and daily naps. These may lead to obstruction of an infant's airway or suffocation.
  • Don't share a bed (co-sleep) with your baby. It's not safe. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants sleep in the same room as their parents, close to their parents' bed, but in a separate bed or crib appropriate for infants. This sleeping arrangement is recommended ideally for the baby's first year but should at least be maintained for the first 6 months.
  • Always place cribs, bassinets, and play yards in hazard-free areas—those with no dangling cords, wires, or window covering—to prevent strangulation.
  • Avoid using cardiorespiratory monitors and commercial devices—wedges, positioners, and special mattresses—to help decrease the risk for SIDS and sleep-related infant deaths. These devices have not been shown to prevent SIDS. In rare cases, they have resulted in the death of an infant.

Ensure to discuss these points and other health and safety issues you might have with your baby’s healthcare provider.