07
Baby sleep: the rules that actually matter
On the back, on a firm surface, and nothing else in the bed. Everything else comes after.
Put your baby down on their back, for every nap and every night, until their first birthday. On a firm, flat, non-inclined surface, in a bed meant for sleeping.
A car seat, a pushchair, a bouncer or a sling is not a bed. For everyday sleep, and especially before four months, they are not suitable.
Nothing else in the bed: no pillow, no blanket, no bumper, no soft toy. If you swaddle, always lay the baby on their back, and stop swaddling at the first signs of rolling over, often around three or four months. Weighted sleep sacks and weighted swaddles should be set aside.
Share the room, but not the bed, ideally for the first six months. The risk is highest on a sofa or an armchair, when the adult is very tired, and when the baby is under four months.
What else helps: no smoke around the baby, breastfeeding where it is possible, and supervised tummy time while awake, to build up the neck and shoulders.
On the practical side, a nappy that lasts until morning saves a needless waking. Change just before bed, and choose the size by the child's weight, never by age.
