The best sleeping position for babies

The safest way to put your baby to sleep is on their back, on a flat, firm and waterproof mattress. Keep their cot clear of items such as toys that could cover their face, to keep their airways clear, and for the first six months, they should sleep in the same room as you.

This is the safest baby sleep position. Research has shown that babies who are usually slept on their backs but sometimes slept on their fronts or sides have a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). This means it’s best to make this a routine and place your baby on their back for every sleep, day or night.  

Sleeping a baby on their side or stomach increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), so sleeping them on their backs is the safest option unless your healthcare professional has told you otherwise.

Once your baby can move themselves from their back to their front and back again by themselves, they will be able to find their own sleeping position. Continue to place your baby on their back for every sleep as research has shown that babies who are slept on their front have a greater risk of SIDS, whilst sleeping on their backs is the safest position. 

Some babies who are born very prematurely and spend time in a neonatal unit are slept on their fronts for medical reasons. Remember that babies in neonatal units are under constant supervision, and by the time your baby comes home, they should be sleeping on their back.

Babies may find it hard to adjust from a sleeping position they have been used to, so persevere and do speak to your paediatrician if you’re worried. Only continue front-sleeping if your paediatrician advises you to for medical reasons.

Some parents worry that by sleeping their baby on their back they could choke on their own vomit. No research has found this to be the case, and we now know that babies are far safer sleeping on their backs.

Many parents will have been slept on their tummies when they were babies, as that was the advice before 1991. But research into sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has since shown that the risk of SIDS is much higher when a baby is placed on their front to sleep.

We know that in the early 1990s, there were thousands of babies worldwide dying suddenly and unexpectedly every year. The reason the number of deaths is much lower now is because of the new advice being followed by parents, which includes lying babies on their backs to sleep.

We sometimes get calls from parents who say their baby prefers sleeping on their front. If a baby is given a choice, they might prefer this position, but unfortunately it’s not a safe one and increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

This is why we encourage all parents to follow back-sleeping from day one. Getting your baby to stick to sleeping on their back once they have tried sleeping on their front might be difficult. But it’s easier if you always put them down to sleep whilst they’re awake, rather than allowing them to fall asleep in your arms, then putting them down. Keep going, they will eventually get used to it.

Back-sleeping is the safest sleeping position for all babies to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), unless your healthcare professional has told you something different. If your baby has reflux, or any other on-going health condition, speak to your doctor about the best care for them.

Don’t sleep your baby on their front unless you have been advised to do so by a medical professional. Don’t incline, tilt or prop the mattress, cot or your baby. Doing so will not help with reflux. 

There is no need to use any type of equipment or rolled up blankets to keep your baby in one position, unless you have been advised to by a health professional for a specific medical condition.

It’s much safer for your baby to be in their cot with just their sheets or blankets, and no extras which they could pull over their face or that could cause an accident. As babies grow stronger they learn to move and roll and this is fine.