Safe Sleeping

Being a new parent is an exciting and challenging time.

It is normal for your baby to wake several times at night for a feed.

NEVER FALL ASLEEP ON A SOFA WITH YOUR BABY AS THIS IS 10 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO RESULT IN SIDS (SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME) ALSO KNOWN AS COT DEATH.

If your circumstances change in anyway please review the above safe sleeping advice.

Speak to your midwife/ health visitor if you have any concerns about bed sharing and look for the pathway in your parent child health records (red book)

The advice is relevant for all sleeping periods not just night time sleep

Babies need just a few basic items for sleep: a firm flat surface and some bedding. New parents now have a massive range of baby products to choose from and it can be really confusing to know what is needed. The advice is simple: the safest cot is a clear cot.

There is evidence to suggest that babies are at higher risk of SIDS if they have their heads covered and some items added to a cot may increase the risk of head-covering. Unnecessary items in a baby’s cot can also increase the risk of accidents. Make sure that any product you use meets the relevant British safety standard. Whilst evidence on individual items is not widely available, it makes sense to be as cautious as possible. We therefore recommend babies are slept in cots that are kept as clear as possible and specifically advise:

  • no pillows or duvets
  • no cot bumpers
  • no soft toys
  • no loose bedding
  • no products to keep a baby in one sleeping position such as wedges or straps.

We cannot comment on individual products, but would advise parents to read the safety advice when making choices.

Coping with night feeds

It is normal for your baby to wake at night at least for the first six months, sometimes longer, and this may be difficult to cope with when you are tired.

Keep baby close, in their cot next to your bed for the first six months.

Respond to early feeding cues.

Keep lights dim and speak softly to avoid stimulating baby too much.

If you are breastfeeding lying down, return your baby to their cot when they have finished. Some mums have suggested setting your mobile phone alarm to ensure you wake and put baby back in their cot.

Speak to your health visitor about 'safe sleeping' there is information in your red book.

Your partner can make sure you are comfortable, help to settle your baby, fetch you a drink, breastfeeding can be thirsty work!

The Infant Sleep Info App provides key information from the BASIS website in a handy format for mobile devices. Covering normal sleep development, sleep location and sleep safety the familiar info from the website is delivered in smaller chunks. Two features are exclusive to the app:

  • a bed-sharing decision tool guides parents through the key considerations for safe bed-sharing, and explains when bed-sharing may be inadvisable and why.
  • a sleep log tool helps parents track their baby’s sleep, displaying this info on a chart depicting the range of normal sleep for infants of different ages to provide reassurance.

Download here from the Apple App Store

Download here from the Google Play store

Or search for 'Infant Sleep Info' or 'Infant Sleep Info Durham Uni' and locate the baby icon.