Guidelines for Safe Sleeping (and Co-Sleeping)

By Cate Coulacos Prato

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Academy of Pediatrics have these recommendations on sleep safety for infants:

Always place a healthy baby to sleep on his or her back to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). 

Wherever your baby sleeps should be as safe as possible. 

Reduce Risk of Suffocation

Babies placed on adult beds risk suffocation from several hidden hazards, including:

• Entrapment between the bed and wall or involving the bed frame, headboard or footboard;

• Falls from adult beds onto piles of clothing, plastic bags or other soft materials resulting in suffocation; and

• Suffocation in soft bedding (such as pillows, thick quilts and comforters).

• To reduce the risk of suffocation, remove all soft bedding – pillows, thick quilts, comforters, sheepskins and other pillow-like soft products – before placing your baby to sleep.

• When using a crib, make sure it meets current safety standards and has a firm, tight-fitting mattress and tight-fitting bottom sheet.

• When using a portable crib or play yard, be sure to use only the mattress or pad provided by the manufacturer.

Safe Co-Sleeping

Pediatrician and “attachment parenting” advocate Dr. William Sears offers similar guidelines, as well as the following co-sleeping advice in his books and on his Web site, www.askdrsears.com.