Reduce the risk
of cot death
• Placeyourbabyonthebacktosleep,
inacotinaroomwithyou
• Donotsmokeinpregnancyorletanyone
smokeinthesameroomasyourbaby
• Donotshareabedwithyourbabyifyou
havebeendrinkingalcohol,ifyoutakedrugs
orifyouareasmoker
•Neversleepwithyourbabyonasofaorarmchair
• Donotletyourbabygettoohot keepyour
baby’sheaduncovered placeyourbabyin
the“feettofoot”position
2
sleep on
the back
ThesafesTPlace foryour
babyTosleePisoNTheback,
iNacoTiNaroomwiThyou
3
Place your baby on
the back to sleep from
the very beginning
for both day and
night sleeps.
Thiswillreducethe
riskofcotdeath.side
sleepingisnotassafe
assleepingontheback.
healthybabiesplaced
ontheirbacksarenot
morelikelytochoke.
whenthebabyisold
enoughtorolloverthey
shouldnotbeprevented
fromdoingso.
babiesmayget
flatteningofthepart
oftheheadtheylie
on(plagiocephaly).
Thiswillbecome
rounderagainasthey
grow,particularlyif
theyareencouraged
tolieontheirtummies
toplaywhenthey
areawakeandbeing
supervised.experiencing
arangeofdifferent
positionsandavariety
ofmovementwhile
awakeisalsogoodfor
ababy’sdevelopment.
The safest place for
your baby to sleep
is in a cot in a room
with you for the first
six months.
If you or your partner:
• aresmokers
(nomatterwhere
orwhenyousmoke
andevenifyounever
smokeinbed);
• haverecently
drunkalcohol;
• havetaken
medicationordrugs
thatmakeyousleep
moreheavily;
• feelverytired;
do not share a bed
with your baby.
Therisksofbedsharing
arealsoincreasedif
yourbaby:
• waspremature(born
before37weeks);
• wasoflowbirth
weight(lessthan
2.5kgor5.5lb)
Thereisalsoariskthat
youmightrolloverin
yoursleepandsuffocate
yourbaby,orthatyour
babycouldgetcaught
betweenthewalland
thebed,orcouldroll
outofanadultbedand
beinjured.
Never sleep with a baby
on a sofa or armchair.
it’slovelytohaveyour
babywithyoufora
cuddleorafeedbutit’s
safesttoputyourbaby
backintheircotbefore
yougotosleep.
Placeyourbaby oNThebackTosleeP
NeVersleePwiThababyoNasofaorarmchair
4
t smoke
don’
near your baby
cuTouTsmokiNgDuriNg
PregNaNcy–ParTNersToo!
5
Smoking in
pregnancy greatly
increases
the risk of
cot death. It is best
not to smoke at all.
ifyouarepregnantand
wanttogiveup,please
calltheNhsPregnancy
smokinghelplineon
0800 169 9 169.
The more you smoke the
greater the risk
1–9
10–19
20plus
Numberofcigarettessmoked/day
x10
x8
increaseinrisk
x6
x4
x2
0
DoN’TleTaNyoNesmokeiN
Thesameroomasyourbaby
Babies exposed to
cigarette smoke
after birth are also
at an increased risk
of cot death.
Nobodyshould
smokeinthehouse,
includingvisitors.
anyonewhoneeds
tosmokeshould
gooutside.Donot
takeyourbabyinto
smokyplaces.ifyou
areasmoker,sharing
abedwithyourbaby
increasestheriskof
cotdeath.
For practical and friendly
advice on giving up
smoking, please call the
NHS Pregnancy Smoking
Helpline on
0800 169 9 169
.
ProTecTyourbabyfromcigareTTesmoke
6
7
t let
don’
your baby overheat
DoN’TleTyourbaby
geTToohoT(orToocolD)
Overheating can
increase the risk of
cot death. Babies can
overheat because of
too much bedding or
clothing, or because
the room is too hot.
• ifyourbabyis
sweatingortheir
tummyfeelshotto
thetouch,takeoff
someofthebedding.
Don’tworryifyour
baby’shandsor
feetfeelcool,thisis
normal.
• itiseasiertoadjust
forthetemperature
withchangesof
lightweightblankets.
remember,afolded
blanketcountsas
twoblankets.
• babiesdonot
needhotrooms;
all-nightheating
israrelynecessary.
keeptheroomata
temperaturethatis
comfortableforyou
atnight.about18°c
(65°f)iscomfortable.
• ifitisverywarm,
yourbabymaynot
needanybedclothes
otherthanasheet.
• eveninwinter,most
babieswhoareunwell
orfeverishdonot
needextraclothes.
• b
abiesshouldnever
sleepwithahotwater
bottleorelectric
blanket,nexttoa
radiator,heaterorfire,
orindirectsunshine.
• babiesloseexcessheat
fromtheirheads,so
makesuretheirheads
cannotbecovered
bybedclothesduring
sleepperiods.
28
26
sheeToNly
24
Toohot
20
16
°c
18
22
1blaNkeT
comfortable
2blaNkeTs
Toocold
14
3blaNkeTs
12
4blaNkeTs
10
These guidelines
are for babies
wearing a nappy,
vest and a sleep suit,
covered by a sheet.
Remove hats and extra
clothing as soon as you
come indoors or enter a
warm car, bus or train,
even if it means waking
your baby.
DoN’TleTyourbabygeTToohoT(orToocolD)
8
9
in the crib
feet to foot
DoN’TleTyourbaby’s
heaDbecomecoVereD
Babies whose heads
are covered with
bedding are at
an increased risk
of cot death.
Topreventyourbaby
wrigglingdownunder
thecovers,placeyour
baby
feet to foot
in
thecrib,cotorpram.
makethecoversup
sothattheyreach
nohigherthanthe
shoulders.coversshould
besecurelytuckedin
sotheycannotslipover
thebaby’shead.use
oneormorelayersof
lightweightblankets.
sleepyourbabyon
amattressthatisfirm,
flat,well-fittingand
clean.Theoutsideof
themattressshould
bewaterproof.
coverthemattress
withasinglesheet.
rememberdonotuse
duvets,quilts,baby
nests,wedges,bedding
rollsorpillows.
feeDiNg
Breastfeeding your
baby reduces the risk
of cot death.
it’simportantto
breastfeedyourbaby.
breastmilkgivesbabies
allthenutrientsthey
needforthefirstsix
monthsoflifeandhelps
protectthemfrom
infection.italsoreduces
mothers’chancesof
gettingcertaindiseases
laterinlifeandallows
youandyourbabyto
getcloserbothphysically
andemotionally.it’s
naturaltohavequestions
orneedsomeextra
supporttobreastfeed
successfully.
your
midwife,
health
visitoror
gPcanhelp.
itispossiblethatusing
adummyatthestart
ofanysleepperiod
reducestheriskofcot
death.Donotbegin
togiveadummyuntil
breastfeedingiswell-
established,usuallywhen
thebabyisaroundone
monthold.stopgiving
thedummywhenthe
babyisbetween6and12
monthsold.
keePyourbaby’sheaDuNcoVereD aNDsleePThem“feeTTofooT”
10
omptly
pr
seek advice
ifyourbabyisuNwellseek
meDicalaDVicePromPTly
11
Babies often have minor
illnesses which you do
not need to worry about.
makesureyourbabydrinks
plentyoffluidsandisnot
toohot.ifyourbabysleeps
alot,wakehimorher
regularlyforadrink.
itmaybedifficulttojudge
whetheranillnessismore
seriousandrequiresprompt
medicalattention.The
followingguidelinesmay
helpyou.
SeRIOuS IllNeSS
Theremaybeseriousillness
ifyourbabyhasanyofthe
followingsymptoms:
• hasahighpitched
orweakcry,isless
responsive,ismuchless
activeormorefloppy
thanusual;
• looksverypaleallover,
gruntswitheachbreath,
seemstobeworking
hardtobreathewhen
youlookattheirchest
andtummy;
• takeslessthanathirdof
usualfluids,passesmuch
lessurinethanusual,
vomitsgreenfluid,or
passesbloodintheirstools;
• hasafeverof38ºor
aboveifthebabyisless
than3months,or
39ºoraboveif
3to6monthsold;
• isdehydrated–dry
mouth,notears,sunken
eyes,orsoftspotonthe
baby’sheadissunken;
• hasarashthatdoesnot
disappearwithpressure.
urgent medical
attention is needed
if your baby:
• stopsbreathingor
goesblue;
• isunresponsiveand
showsnoawareness
ofwhatisgoingon;
• hasglazedeyesand
doesnotfocuson
anything;
• cannotbewoken;
• hasafit,evenifyour
babyrecoverswithout
medicalattention;
DIAl 999 and ask for an
ambulance.
MONITORS
Normalhealthybabies
donotneedabreathing
monitor.someparents
findthatusinga
breathingmonitor
reassuresthem.however,
thereisnoevidencethat
monitorspreventcot
death.ifyouhaveany
worriesaboutyourbaby,
askyourdoctoraboutthe
beststepstotake.
IMMuNISATION
immunisation reduces
theriskofcotdeath.
rememberThaTcoTDeaThisrare;
so please don’t let worry about it stop you enjoying
your baby’s first few months. Research is continuing
to help us understand more about cot death.
ifyourbabyseemsuNwell seekmeDicalaDViceearlyaNDQuickly
If you have questions or want more information on reducing
the risk of cot death, or to buy a simple room thermometer
for your baby, contact the Foundation for the Study of Infant
Deaths (FSID):
Telephone: 020 7802 3200
For the research evidence that backs the advice in this leafl et
go to www.fsid.org.uk/factfi le_2.html
The information in this leafl et will reduce the risk of cot death,
but it is not guaranteed to prevent it altogether.
Since parents and carers have
been following the risk reduction
advice, the number of babies
dying has fallen by over 70%.
© Crown copyright 2009
Produced by COI for the Department of Health
292301 1p 500k Feb 09
If you require further copies of this leafl et, quote
292301/Reduce the risk of cot death and contact:
DH Publications Orderline
Tel: 0300 123 1002
Fax: 01623 724 524
Minicom: 0300 123 1003