Safe sleep as your baby grows: what changes and what never does
The safe sleep rules that stay the same all year, and the things that change as your baby rolls, sits and pulls up, from swaddling and sleeping bags to cot height and mobiles.
By PreggieLover 4 min read
In the newborn weeks, safe sleep advice is everywhere: on hospital posters, in leaflets, from your midwife at every visit. By six or eight months, it goes quiet. Yet your baby is now rolling, sitting and pulling themselves up, and some of the old setup needs to change. Here is a reminder of the rules that stay the same all year, and the changes that come as your baby grows.
What never changes in the first year
- Back to sleep: put your baby down on their back for every sleep, day and night.
- A clear, flat, firm cot: a firm, flat, waterproof mattress that fits the cot without gaps, with no pillows, duvets, quilts, bumpers, sleep positioners or soft toys.
- Close by: the safest place for your baby to sleep for the first six months is in a cot or Moses basket in the same room as you, day and night.
- Smoke-free: keep your baby away from smoke, during pregnancy and after birth, and never let anyone smoke in your home or car.
- Not too hot: a room temperature of around 16 to 20°C is ideal. In hot weather, dress your baby lightly, use a fan to move air around the room (not pointed straight at them), and never cover their head with a hat indoors. Feel their chest or the back of their neck to check; hands and feet often feel cool anyway.
- Never on a sofa or armchair: falling asleep with a baby on a sofa or armchair is very dangerous. If you feel sleepy while feeding, put your baby down in their cot.
- Bed-sharing risks: never share a bed with your baby if you or anyone in the bed has drunk alcohol, smoked, taken drugs or medicine that makes you drowsy, or if your baby was born prematurely or at a low birth weight.
What changes as your baby grows
When they start to roll
Keep putting your baby down on their back. Once they can roll from back to front and front to back by themselves, you do not need to keep turning them over if they move during the night. If you swaddle, stop as soon as your baby shows signs of starting to roll, as a swaddled baby who rolls onto their front cannot push up.
Sleeping bags and bedding
A well-fitting baby sleeping bag is a good choice, as it cannot ride up over the face. Check the size as your baby grows: the neck and armholes should fit so their head cannot slip down inside. If you use blankets, place your baby feet to foot (feet at the bottom of the cot) and tuck thin blankets in firmly, no higher than their shoulders.
Cot height
Lower the cot mattress to its lowest setting before your baby can sit up or pull themselves up, so they cannot topple out.
Mobiles and hanging toys
Remove cot mobiles and anything hanging over or across the cot once your baby can push up on their hands and knees or reach them.
Around the cot
Move the cot away from windows, heaters, lamps, curtains and blind cords, and keep nappy sacks, wires and plastic bags well out of reach. If you use a mosquito net, choose one that hangs over the cot and tucks securely under the mattress, with no loose fabric your baby can pull down. Avoid amber or teething necklaces and bracelets, which are a strangling and choking risk.
Naps on the go
Babies often fall asleep in car seats, buggies and slings. When you arrive, move them to a flat, safe sleep space. In a sling, keep your baby upright, close enough to kiss, with their face visible and chin off their chest.
Get urgent help if
Call your local emergency number (999 in the UK, 112 in Nigeria) if your baby stops breathing or has long pauses in breathing, turns blue or grey, is floppy, or is very hard to wake. If you have learned baby CPR, follow it while you wait.
Sleeping in safety
There is a verse many parents whisper over a cot: "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety" (Psalm 4:8). Safe sleep guidance is a gift of knowledge, and you can follow it with a peaceful heart rather than an anxious one. You do your part. God holds what you cannot.
A prayer at the cot side
Lord, I lay my baby down in your care tonight. Give them sweet, safe sleep, and give me rest too. When I worry in the dark, remind me that you are watching, and that you never sleep. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
What if my baby rolls onto their tummy during sleep?
Always put your baby down on their back. Once they can roll both ways by themselves, you do not need to keep turning them back over during the night.
When should I stop swaddling my baby?
Stop swaddling as soon as your baby shows signs of starting to roll, because a swaddled baby who rolls onto their front cannot push themselves up.
When should I lower my baby's cot mattress?
Lower it to the lowest setting before your baby can sit up or pull themselves up, so they cannot climb or fall out.
This article is for general information and encouragement, not medical advice. Please talk to your doctor or midwife about your own health and your baby's.
