Introduction

How and where your baby sleeps is one of the most important questions for their safety. Safe sleep practices help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and sleep-related accidents. These precautions are simple but vitally important.

Safe Sleep Rules

  • Lay your baby on their back for every sleep
  • Use a firm, flat, non-inclined mattress made for infant sleep, with a tight-fitting elastic sheet; do not raise the mattress
  • Keep pillows, quilts, blankets, toys and bumpers out of the bed
  • You can choose a non-weighted sleep sack in the right size and thickness. Do not use weighted sleep sacks, weighted swaddles or weighted blankets
  • For at least the first six months, have your baby sleep in the same room as you, but on a separate sleep surface of their own
  • Keep your baby's surroundings completely free of cigarette smoke
  • Prevent overheating; no hats indoors or during sleep

Why Does It Matter?

Soft surfaces, loose bedding and sleeping on the stomach can increase the risk of your baby's airway becoming blocked or of overheating. Sleeping on the back in a plain sleep environment reduces these risks significantly.

What Can Parents Do?

  • Make sure caregivers and all family members follow the same safe sleep rules
  • Be careful not to fall asleep with your baby on a sofa, an armchair or in an adult bed
  • Ask your doctor's opinion on pacifier use and other recommendations

When Should You See a Doctor?

If your baby cannot breathe, has blue lips or tongue, has a seizure or does not respond, call your local emergency number (112 in Türkiye). Even if breathing has returned to normal, get emergency care if your baby turned blue or clearly stopped breathing for a moment. Tell your pediatrician about ongoing snoring or unusual breathing sounds.

Rolling and Swaddling

Start every sleep with your baby on their back. If your baby can roll both ways on their own, you do not need to keep turning them onto their back through the night; keep the bed empty. Stop swaddling as soon as your baby shows signs of trying to roll. Do not use sleep positioners.

Summary

Safe sleep can be summed up as: on the back, a firm and plain mattress, a smoke-free environment and a suitable temperature. These simple precautions help your baby sleep as safely as possible.

Sources

This app is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult your doctor or pediatrician for decisions about your baby's health.