Sleeping safely with your baby

No matter where your baby sleeps, you should follow the safe sleeping guidelines to ensure that when your baby sleeps, he is safe. If you share the bed with your baby, you should take the following extra precautions to avoid the possibility of smothering:

• Don't sleeping together on the couch - your baby can suffocate by getting trapped between you and the cushions.
• Don't use anything soft on the mattress (wool underlay, quilted mattress protector). Make sure your mattress is firm.
• Don't use heavy quilts or duvets - lightweight blankets are best.
• Don't let the bedding cover your baby's head. Keep them tucked in down low on the bed.
• Don't let your baby sleep with his head on the pillows.
• Don't put your baby between two parents - it is more likely that he'll slip under the covers that way. Instead, sleep him beside one parent.
• Don't put your baby where he can fall out of bed, but don't put him against pillows or a wall either. The safest alternative is to put a mattress on the floor to protect him should he fall out of bed.

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This article was written by Ella Walsh for Kidspot. Sources include Raising Children Network.