Safe Sleep, Strong Families, Mission Ready

Plan Ahead. Protect What Matters. Build Your Support Team.

In the military, we don’t leave important things to chance. We plan. We prepare. We build a team. Safe sleep is no different.

Before baby arrives, talk to your support team about safe sleep, SIDS, and how to prevent unsafe sleep related deaths. Make sure all caregivers, including daycare, neighbors, and extended family, know your plan for safe sleep.

Shared parenting responsibilities build consistent practices, and when moms, dads, and caretakers take turns supporting one another during nighttime routines, the standard and expectation of safe sleep is always the same.
 

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And if the mission doesn’t go exactly as planned? You don’t carry it alone. There are resources to help:

• New Parent Support Program
• Military One Source New MilParent Consultants (800-342-9647) 
• Navy Marine Corps Relief Society Visiting Nurses: visit: nmcrs.org

Risk Reduction, Not Perfection

Based on all available evidence, the safest place for baby is their own sleep surface. Share your room, not the bed.

• Bring baby to bed for feeding or comfort. When you’re ready to sleep, return baby to their own sleep space.
• If you might fall asleep while feeding, prepare a safer environment. Keep the bed clear of pillows, blankets, and loose bedding. Move baby back to their crib as soon as you wake.
• Avoid couches and armchairs. Sleeping with your baby on these surfaces greatly increases the risk of suffocation and unsafesleep related injuries and death.
• Avoid substances that increase sleep risk. Don’t bed-share when you’ve been drinking or using other substances, as this increases the risk.
   

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Pro-Parent Tip:

Have a safe sleep space available on all levels of your home to increase ease of quickly laying baby down for all sleeps.

 

Parenting Is Hard. Keep Safe Sleep Simple.

There is so much to learn about being a new parent. Keeping safe sleep practices simple means parents have one less thing to worry about when it comes to doing what’s best for baby.
 

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Follow the ABCs of Safe Sleep:

ALONE:
Place baby to sleep alone, in their own sleep space, such as a bassinet, play yard, or crib. Share your room, not your bed. Room sharing helps ease stress for parents who wonder and worry about their baby during sleep times.

BACK:
Babies sleep safest when they are placed on their backs on a smooth, flat surface, such as a crib mattress with fitted sheet. This position keeps the airways open and reduces risks of choking.

CRIB:
Whichever safe sleep environment you’re using (crib, bassinet, play yard) should be free from extra blankets, pillows, toys, or other decorative products such as crib liners and bumpers.