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Life Guide U.S. essentials
English

Put a baby to sleep on the back, on a firm flat surface, in the same room but not the same bed, with nothing soft in the crib

  • High value
  • Evidence A
  • Buys life
  • For: Child under 3, Pregnant or trying
  • Free
  • Takes minutes
  • Long-term effort

In plain words

While the child is a baby, lay the baby face up to sleep, on a firm flat surface. Adults and the baby share a room but not a bed. Put no pillows, quilts, bumper pads, stuffed toys or positioners in the crib. Inclined cradles and baby seats are for sitting only, not for sleeping in. In the U.S. alone, about 3500 babies die in their sleep every year.

Cost

Free. If you need to switch to a firm mattress, a few hundred yuan. The hard part is holding firm against what the older generation says and keeping to this every time.

What you get

In the U.S., about 3500 babies a year die of sleep-related causes. These include sudden infant death syndrome, unknown causes, and accidental suffocation in bed. The American Academy of Pediatrics describes a safe sleep environment as "supine position; a firm, non-inclined sleep surface; room-sharing without bed-sharing; and avoiding soft bedding and overheating." A few other things also lower the risk: breastfeeding, keeping the baby away from nicotine and alcohol, staying up to date on vaccines, and using a pacifier.

Notes

"Nothing soft in the crib" means no pillows, quilts, bumper pads, stuffed toys or positioners at all. Even nursing pillows that look safe are left out. Inclined cradles and baby seats are not places to sleep. In this section, this item makes the biggest difference, and it is also the one where you most need to hold firm against pressure from older relatives.

Evidence grade
A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.
Sources
  1. Moon RY, Carlin RF, Hand I, Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and the Committee on Fetus and Newborn (2022). Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2022 Recommendations for Reducing Infant Deaths in the Sleep Environment. Pediatrics, 150(1), e2022057990. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2022-057990

Mentioned in

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 20, tip 1. This section is about health and medicines. It is general information, not a substitute for a doctor’s diagnosis or prescription. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer