Infants should sleep in his or her

own sleep area.

Room sharing without bed sharing
is recommended.
Co-bedding of twins should be
avoided.
Infants should be loosely swaddled
with hands remaining close to the
face.
Pacifier use should be delayed until
breastfeeding is well established.

The flat, supine sleep position is

recommended for infants.
Side sleeping is not safe. It increases
the risk of infants rolling to a prone
position.
Infants placed on their stomach or
side for sleep have an increased risk
for SIDS, hypercapnia, and hypoxia
due to rebreathing of exhaled CO2,
overheating, and diminished sleep
wake cycles.

Crib mattresses should be firm and

able to maintain its shape.
Soft objects such as pillows, quilts,
comforters, and toys should be kept
out of the infants sleep
environment.
Bumper pads can increase the risk of
SIDS and are not recommended.
Wedges and positioners should not
be used.
Elevating the head of the bassinet is
not recommended. It is not effective
in the reduction of GERD.

Sudden Infant Death

Syndrome (SIDS) is any
sudden and unexpected
death of an infant younger
than one year of age.
Research suggests bed
sharing is associated with
SIDS and accidental
suffocation. In North
Carolina, 68.5% of mothers
report they have shared a
bed with their infant.
When the baby is in the
back sleep position, the
windpipe lies on top of the
esophagus, so reflux from
the stomach has to work
against gravity to enter the
trachea. When the baby is
sleeping on its stomach,
such fluids will exit the
esophagus and pool at the
opening for the trachea,
making choking much more
likely.

February 2016

References
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2011). SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths: Expansion of recommendations for a
safe infant sleeping environment. Pediatrics, 128(6): 1033-1034.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, DHHS. (2014). Questions and
answers for health care providers: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related causes of infant death
(14-7202). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Jones-Vessey, K., Avery, M., & Simsek, F. (2012). Infant bed sharing results from the North Carolina pregnancy risk
assessment monitoring system survey, 2009-2010. Retrieved from
http://www.schs.state.nc.us/schs/pdf/SB_39_20120620.pdf
Matteson, T., Henderson-Williams, a., & Nelson, J. (2013). Preventing in hospital newborn falls: A literature review. The
American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 38(6): 3-4.
Moon, R.Y., American Academy of Pediatrics. (2011). SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths: Expansion of
recommendations for a safe infant sleeping environment. Pediatrics, 128(5): 1030-39.
National Association of Neonatal Nurses. (2011). Cobedding of twins or higher-order multiples.