Safe Co-Sleeping Guidelines
Safe co-sleeping is a common concern for new parents trying to balance bonding, comfort, and safety. Thankfully, experts like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offer clear guidance to reduce risks while preserving the close connection families value. With a few key habits, safe sleep can become a natural part of your parenting rhythm.
By understanding the basics and staying updated on recommendations, parents can confidently create a secure sleep space. With the right approach, co-sleeping can offer both peace of mind and the joy of nighttime closeness.
Aim for At Least Two Months of Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding during a baby’s first months offers important health benefits. Even just two months of breastfeeding lowers the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Studies show that the longer a baby is breastfed, the stronger the protection—especially during the early months when infants are most vulnerable.
Breastfeeding also affects a baby’s sleep. Babies who are breastfed and sleep close to their mothers tend to wake more often during the night. This frequent waking actually supports healthy development by giving babies regular practice in rousing from sleep and taking breaths—an important part of safe sleep. These brief awakenings help prevent long periods of deep sleep, when breathing may be more likely to pause.
Many breastfeeding mothers naturally adopt a sleep position called the “C position,” which can make bed-sharing safer. In this pose, the mother lies on her side with the baby at chest level, often tucking her legs to create a protective space.
This physical setup helps keep the baby close and away from risky sleep positions, such as being near pillows or drifting toward the head of the bed. To reduce suffocation risks, parents should also remove pillows and heavy blankets from the sleep space.
Co-sleeping can still carry risks, even for breastfeeding families. While breastfeeding mothers often adopt safer sleep postures, it’s essential to take extra care to ensure the sleep environment is as safe as possible.
Some parents feel pressured to help their baby sleep long stretches without waking. Yet experts have found that frequent night waking is normal and healthy in young infants. It helps them practice arousing from sleep and breathing regularly.
For families who are able to breastfeed, even a short duration of two months offers meaningful benefits. Longer breastfeeding provides greater protection, but any amount can make a positive difference.
Avoid Alcohol, Smoking, and Drugs
Cigarette smoke, both during pregnancy and after the baby is born, changes the way a baby’s brain controls breathing. Harmful chemicals in smoke damage parts of the brain that help babies breathe safely while they sleep.
Babies who share a bed with adults who smoke face even more danger. Research shows the risk of SIDS increases significantly if a parent smokes and also shares a sleeping surface with their child.
Using alcohol, opioids, or other drugs before or after pregnancy also makes sleep less safe for infants. These substances affect how adults wake up or respond to a baby in need and may increase the chance of SIDS. For the safest sleep environment, both parents should avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs throughout pregnancy and after the baby comes home.
Tips for Creating a Safe Co-Sleeping Spot
When bed-sharing with a baby, parents should remove all soft bedding and loose items such as blankets, pillows, duvets, and bumpers. The baby’s sleep area should only have a firm mattress with a fitted sheet. Parents should avoid soft surfaces, including air beds, water beds, and pillow-top mattresses, as they increase risk. Adult beds, not children’s mattresses, provide a safer choice if sharing a bed with a baby.
Unsafe Co-Sleeping Practices
Caregivers should avoid sleeping with their baby on couches, reclining chairs, or armchairs, as these places increase the risks of suffocation and sleep-related infant deaths. Babies can get trapped between cushions or slip into dangerous positions.
Parents should not use sidecar cribs or bedside bassinets with a drop-down side, since gaps between the mattress and the crib can create spaces where infants may become stuck.
Sharing a bed with other adults, older children, or pets increases the risk of accidental suffocation, strangulation, or other sleep-related deaths. Limiting the bed to only the parent and the baby lowers these risks.
To maintain a safe sleep space, the bed should be free of loose bedding, pillows, and blankets. Parents should also avoid bed-sharing after drinking alcohol or using substances, as impaired awareness increases the risk of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) and other sleep-related fatalities.
Is it Safe to Sleep Next to a Swaddled Baby?
Swaddling a baby before sharing a bed is not safe. Babies who are swaddled while bed-sharing may not be able to move their arms or legs freely, making it difficult to adjust their position or remove bedding from their faces if needed. A fitted sleep sack may be a safer option than a traditional swaddle because it allows for more movement and reduces the risk of loose blankets.
Parents should stop swaddling as soon as an infant shows signs of trying to roll over. Babies should always be placed on their backs to sleep, never on their sides or stomachs while swaddled. If using a swaddle, it should be snug but kept away from the baby’s face and not cover the mouth or nose. Lightweight materials are best to prevent overheating during sleep.
Can Pacifiers Make Co-Sleeping Safer?
When breastfeeding is already regular, using a pacifier may help lower safety risks for co-sleeping babies. The sucking action from a pacifier supports the breathing reflex, and it can help reduce short pauses in breathing.
Room-Sharing Versus Bed-Sharing
Room-sharing lets infants sleep in the same room as their parents but in a separate sleep space, such as a bassinet, travel crib, or regular crib. This arrangement is especially recommended for the first six months of a baby’s life, when the risk of SIDS is at its highest—between two and four months. Keeping the baby close allows parents to respond to their infant’s needs quickly during the night.
Bed-sharing means parents and infants sleep in the same bed. This setup has more risks, including a higher chance of suffocation or accidental injury. While some guidelines suggest that bed-sharing may be less dangerous if strict safety measures are followed—such as having a firm mattress, keeping the sleep environment smoke-free, and ensuring the parent is sober—most health experts favor room-sharing.
As babies get older, particularly after six months, the risks associated with SIDS decrease, and families may adjust their sleep arrangements as needed. Some parents choose to use rolling bassinets or position the crib close to the bedside for convenience. Others might place a mattress in the nursery to stay near the infant without sharing a bed.
Some parents find that sharing a bed with their young child feels natural, especially when daily schedules allow for very little time together. For example, one mother continues to bed-share with her almost two-year-old, noticing that this is the longest time she spends with her son each day. She now plans to use this approach with future children as well.
Many people feel pressure to follow certain sleep routines, like sleep training, because experts often recommend these methods. However, in some families, these routines do not work well during the early months, especially when parents are adjusting to new routines and sleep patterns. After researching co-sleeping safety, some parents believe it does not deserve the negative attention it sometimes gets and feel it can help everyone rest better.
Specialists encourage parents to stay informed and add different safety steps when making sleep choices—similar to wearing several layers of gear for cycling. No single action will keep a child perfectly safe, but using a mix of safety practices can help reduce risks.
