Safer sleep for newborns: a simple setup

Build the sleep space first

Choose a cot or Moses basket (a small, portable baby bed) with a firm, flat mattress. Keep pillows, soft toys, cot bumpers, pods, nests and positioning devices out. A fitted sheet and suitable lightweight bedding are enough; a well-fitting baby sleeping bag is another option.

Think about where daytime naps will happen too. The safer-sleep setup matters whenever your baby sleeps, not only at bedtime. Walk through that plan with anyone who will care for them.

Keep your baby’s environment smoke-free. Ask everyone who cares for them to follow the same safer-sleep advice; a clear cot and back-sleeping still matter when someone else is doing the settling.

Sources: The Lullaby Trust, NHS Best Start in Life, NHS

Check warmth without adding clutter

The Lullaby Trust recommends a room temperature of 16–20°C. Follow the sleeping bag manufacturer's sizing and clothing guidance; avoid weighted or bulky bedding. Keep your baby's head uncovered.

If using a blanket, the NHS advises placing the baby's feet at the foot of the cot, with the blanket tucked in firmly below their shoulders. Do not combine a sleeping bag with extra bedding.

Sources: The Lullaby Trust, NHS Best Start in Life

Plan for the moment you feel sleepy

Your baby's own separate sleep space is the safest place. Never fall asleep with them on a sofa or armchair. If you feel yourself drifting off there, put your baby in their cot or ask another awake adult to take over.

Do not bed share if anyone in the bed smokes, has recently drunk any alcohol, has used recreational drugs, or has taken medicines that cause sleepiness; if your baby was exposed to smoking in pregnancy; or if your baby was born before 37 weeks or weighed under 2.5kg at birth. The NHS also advises against bed sharing if you are extremely tired or your baby has a fever or signs of illness. Read the full Lullaby Trust guidance before the first night, even if you do not intend to bed share. This short page is not a complete bed-sharing guide.

Sources: The Lullaby Trust, NHS Best Start in Life

Make the plan easy to repeat

Before the evening gets busy, decide which adult is available to help, check that the cot is ready, and keep your phone and a drink within your own reach. Put changing supplies nearby but outside the sleep space.

A practical handover can be one sentence: ‘The cot is clear; the sleeping bag is here; wake me if you feel too tired.’ Agreeing that sentence in daylight can be easier than negotiating at 3am. A monitor or tracking app does not replace safer-sleep practice.

Sources: The Lullaby Trust