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Do's & Don'ts😴

Safe Sleep: Do's, Don'ts & the Grey Areas

Safe sleep in plain English — what to do, what to avoid, and an honest look at the grey areas including co-sleeping. NHS and Lullaby Trust aligned.

⏳ 5 minute read✓ NHS-aligned🇬🇧 UK-specific

Safe sleep advice is sometimes delivered in a way that creates anxiety without creating understanding. Here's what you need to know, clearly — including the grey areas.

✓ Do
  • Place baby on their back for every sleep, day and night
  • Use a firm, flat, waterproof mattress — no pillow
  • Keep the cot clear — nothing except the mattress and a fitted sheet
  • Room share for at least 6 months — your baby sleeps in their own space, in your room
  • Keep the room 16–20°C — use a room thermometer
  • Use a sleeping bag appropriate for room temperature (by tog rating)
  • Keep your home smoke-free — including during pregnancy
  • Offer a dummy at sleep time (once breastfeeding is established) — associated with reduced SIDS risk
  • Breastfeed if you can — any amount reduces SIDS risk
✗ Don't
  • Don't let your baby sleep on their front or side until they can roll both ways independently
  • Don't use cot bumpers, duvets, pillows or soft toys in the sleep space
  • Don't use a wedge or inclined sleeper — no evidence of benefit and increases risk
  • Don't share a bed if you or your partner smoke, have consumed alcohol, or have taken sedating medication
  • Don't let your baby sleep in a car seat, bouncer or swing for regular or extended sleep
  • Don't overheat — feel the back of the neck, not the hands or feet
  • Don't use loose bedding — tucked-in sheets or a sleeping bag only

The grey area: co-sleeping

The NHS says the safest place for your baby to sleep is in their own clear sleep space in your room. It also acknowledges that many parents share a bed with their baby, intentionally or not (falling asleep while feeding).

The risks of bed-sharing are significantly higher in specific circumstances: if you or your partner smoke, if either of you has consumed alcohol or taken sedating drugs, if your baby was premature or low birth weight. In these circumstances bed-sharing is not safe.

If none of these risk factors apply and you choose to bed-share, the Lullaby Trust's SAFE sleep space guidance provides evidence-based advice on making the environment as low-risk as possible. The risk is not zero — but having the information is better than the situation where parents co-sleep without knowing the risk factors.

The most dangerous place for a baby to sleep is a sofa or armchair. If you're at risk of falling asleep while feeding, move to a flat surface first.

📚 The evidence behind the guidance

The safe sleep guidance has evolved significantly — and some of what was recommended 20 years ago is now known to be wrong or ineffective. The WiseMama safe sleep guide explains the research behind each recommendation, including why the back-sleeping advice reduced SIDS rates by over 70% and what the evidence actually says about room-sharing duration.

Read: Safe Sleep — full guide →
📖 Want to go deeper?
Safe Sleep for Babies: UK Guidelines Explained — the full guide
The evidence behind the guidance — SIDS risk factors, co-sleeping safely, room temperature, swaddling, and products to avoid.
Read the full guide →
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