Safer Sleep for baby
Each year around 200 babies will die unexpectedly before their first birthday. Many of these deaths are classified as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or cot death, which usually happens when babies are sleeping.
No-one wants to think that the worst will happen to their baby but it's important that parents and carers know the risks and what they can do about them.
Safer Sleep Animation
Our Safer Sleep animation provides some useful advice in the form of a short clip. You can play the clip below or access on YouTube here
Six Steps to Safer Sleep
Safer Sleep for baby focuses on six easy to follow steps which you can follow any time you put your baby down to sleep.
Step 1
Keep baby away from smoke, before and after birth. If either you or your partner smokes, never share a bed with your baby
Step 2
Put baby in a cot, crib or Moses basket to sleep. Never fall asleep with baby on a sofa or chair; this can increase the risk of death by 50%.
Step 3
Never fall asleep with baby after drinking alcohol or taking drugs, including medications that may make you drowsy.
Step 4
Put baby to sleep on their back with thier feet to the foot of the cot.
Step 5
Keep baby's head and face uncovered and make sure they don't get too hot. The room they sleep in should be between 16-20 degrees celsius
Step 6
Breastfeed your baby. Support is available if you need it.
Safer Sleep Guidance
The Safer Sleep Guidance is a guide to provide staff with the confidence and knowledge to facilitate an open and honest discussion to support babies' carers to make informed safer sleeping choices for their babies.
The timeline has been created to highlight to practitioners, the opportunities at which contact with parents/carers can be used to share the safer sleep messages.
Safer Sleep Leaflets & Posters
Available for parents, carers and professionals to download.
Professionals should print copies where possible to share with families during contact session, and to display in public areas to raise the awareness of the safer sleep messages.
The Safer Sleep Booklet has been put together to help keep babies safe as they sleep, providing the right information to parents and carers so they are aware of the risks can help to do this. This is also available in easy read.
The Safer Sleep poster includes the six steps to safer sleep, these are available in the following languages English, Polish, Punjabi, Arabic, Urdu, Romanian, Bulgarian, Kurdish and also for the visually impaired.
Our Safer Sleep advice for grandparents aims to engage a wider audience in our safer sleeping messages.
Safer Sleep Assessment & Action Plan Tool
The Safer Sleep Assessment can be used by any agency or professional working with families. The sleep assessment tool is designed to be completed with parents during home visits.
Sleepover fire safety
If your child is invited to a sleepover you will want them to be safe, both in general and in the event of a fire. Before you agree, here are some things that might help.
If you would like further information or would like to order any of the safer sleep materials please contact Rachel Rimmer 01772 530329.