Checking the safe-sleep rules before you put your baby down is one of the best instincts a parent can have. Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI), which includes SIDS and fatal sleep accidents, is rare, and a handful of simple, consistent habits lower the risk a lot. None of this has to be perfect. It just has to be the default, every sleep.
Back to sleep, every time
Place your baby on their back for every sleep — naps and night, at home or away. Back sleeping is the single most protective thing you can do; it keeps the airway clear and is linked to the biggest drop in SUDI since the 1990s.
- Side-lying isn't safe — babies can roll to their tummy.
- Once your baby can roll both ways on their own, you don't need to flip them back. Still always start them on their back.
- Plenty of supervised, awake tummy time builds the neck and shoulder strength that helps with rolling — see our tummy time guide.
A firm, flat, clear cot
Your baby sleeps safest on a firm, flat mattress that fits the cot snugly, with nothing else in the cot.
- No pillows, doonas, quilts, soft toys, loose blankets, sleep positioners or cot bumpers. Soft items and gaps are a suffocation and entrapment risk.
- A safe baby sleeping bag (no hood, fitted neck and armholes) is a tidy way to keep baby warm without loose bedding.
- If you use a blanket, tuck it in firmly with baby's feet to the foot of the cot ("feet-to-foot"), so they can't wriggle down under it.
Share a room, not a bed (6–12 months)
Both Red Nose (AU) and the AAP (US) recommend baby sleeps in their own safe cot or bassinet, in your room, for the first 6–12 months. Room-sharing makes night feeds and settling easier and is linked to lower SUDI risk.
- Bed-sharing increases risk, especially with a baby under 4 months, born preterm or small, or if anyone has smoked, drunk alcohol, or taken anything sedating.
- If you might fall asleep feeding, a clear adult bed is safer than a sofa or armchair — but moving baby back to their cot is safest of all.
Smoke-free, before and after birth
Keeping baby's air smoke-free — in pregnancy and after — is one of the strongest protective factors.
- Smoke-free home and car, and ask others not to smoke or vape around your baby.
- This matters most alongside the points above when deciding where baby sleeps.
Why each piece matters
The safe-sleep stack — and why
- Back to sleep: keeps the airway open — the biggest single risk reduction.
- Firm, flat, clear: removes suffocation and entrapment hazards.
- Room-sharing: lowers risk and makes feeds and checks easier.
- Smoke-free: protects the airway and lowers SUDI risk markedly.
- Feet-to-foot: stops baby slipping under bedding.
AU vs US: reassuringly aligned
Australian and US guidance agree on the essentials. A couple of wording differences:
| Topic | Red Nose (AU) | AAP (US) |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep position | Back, every sleep | Back, every sleep |
| Surface | Firm, flat, clear cot | Firm, flat, non-inclined |
| Room-sharing | First 6–12 months | At least 6, ideally 12 months |
| Dummy/pacifier | Optional; may offer | Recommended at sleep onset |
| Swaddling | Stop once rolling starts | Stop once rolling starts |
The WHO similarly supports back-sleeping, breastfeeding and a smoke-free environment as protective. Vitamin D advice differs by region (the US routinely recommends supplementation for breastfed babies; AU advises it mainly for at-risk babies) — that's a feeding topic, but worth raising with your nurse.
A few extra steady habits
- Keep baby's head and face uncovered — no hats indoors for sleep.
- Dress for the room temperature; overheating is a known risk.
- Breastfeeding, where possible, is associated with lower SUDI risk — every bit helps and any amount counts.
- A dummy offered at sleep onset may be protective; don't force it, and don't re-insert once baby's asleep.
You don't need every sleep to be flawless. Back, firm and flat, clear cot, your room, smoke-free — make these your defaults, and the rest will follow.