What if my baby rolls onto the tummy during sleep?

Once your baby can roll confidently in both directions, back to tummy and tummy to back, you do not need to reposition them during the night. Per the AAP, still place your baby on the back at the start of every sleep until the first birthday, and keep the sleep space bare so rolling is safe.

When should I stop swaddling my baby?

Stop swaddling as soon as your baby shows any sign of trying to roll, which can happen in the first few months. The AAP recommends this firm cutoff because a swaddled baby who ends up on the tummy cannot use the arms to reposition. A sleep sack with free arms is the next step.

Do I need to put the pacifier back in if it falls out?

No. The AAP suggests offering a pacifier at nap time and bedtime because it is associated with a lower risk of SIDS, but once your baby is asleep and the pacifier falls out, you do not need to replace it. Never attach a pacifier to a string, clip, or stuffed toy for sleep.

Can my baby sleep in a car seat, swing, or bouncer?

Not for routine sleep. The AAP recommends a firm, flat, non-inclined surface for every sleep. Car seats are for travel, and if your baby falls asleep during a ride, move them to a crib, bassinet, or play yard when you arrive.

How warm should my baby be at night?

A useful AAP rule is to dress your baby in no more than one layer more than you would wear to be comfortable in the same room, with a sleep sack instead of a loose blanket and no hat indoors. Check the chest or the back of the neck: sweating, damp hair, or hot, flushed skin mean your baby is too warm.

Newborn

Safe sleep for newborns: the ABCs, explained gently

June 11, 2026 · 8 min read

Few topics weigh on new parents like sleep. You want your baby to rest, you badly need rest yourself, and the advice from relatives, the internet, and product packaging often points in different directions. The good news is that the guidance here is clear and simple. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) publishes safe sleep recommendations that reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related deaths, and they come down to a few habits any caregiver can learn. This guide walks through them gently, with zero judgment.

The ABCs: Alone, on the Back, in a Crib

A simple way to remember the heart of the guidance is the ABCs: your baby sleeps Alone, on the Back, in a Crib. Alone means your baby has the sleep surface entirely to themselves, with no other people and no soft items sharing it. On the back means every sleep, naps included, starts with your baby placed face up. And the crib can be a crib, a bassinet, or a play yard that meets federal safety standards, with a firm, flat mattress covered only by a fitted sheet. Flat matters as much as firm: the AAP recommends against inclined sleep products and against routine sleep in sitting devices like car seats, swings, and bouncers. If your baby falls asleep in a car seat during a trip, that is what the seat is for, but move them to a firm, flat surface once you arrive.

Why back sleeping matters

Placing babies on the back for every sleep, naps and nighttime, until the first birthday is the core AAP recommendation, and sleep-related infant deaths in the United States dropped substantially after back sleeping campaigns began in the 1990s. Back sleeping keeps the airway unobstructed. Many parents worry about choking, but the AAP is reassuring on this point: healthy babies have reflexes that protect the airway, and back sleeping does not increase choking risk. Side sleeping is not a safe alternative, because a baby on the side can easily end up on the tummy. Once your baby can roll confidently in both directions, you do not need to keep repositioning them overnight, but every sleep should still begin on the back.

What stays out of the sleep space

A safe crib looks almost empty, and that can feel strange when stores sell so much soft, beautiful bedding. Keep loose blankets, pillows, quilts, comforters, stuffed animals, sleep positioners, and padded crib bumpers out of the sleep space. Padded crib bumpers and inclined sleepers can no longer be sold in the United States under the federal Safe Sleep for Babies Act. The AAP also advises against weighted products of any kind, including weighted blankets, weighted swaddles, and weighted sleepers. None of this means your baby has to be cold or uncomfortable: warmth comes from what your baby wears, not from what is in the crib, and the bare setup is what makes the space safe.

Room-sharing without bed-sharing

The AAP recommends that your baby sleep in your room, close to your bed but on a separate surface designed for infants, ideally for at least the first six months. Room-sharing keeps feeding and comforting close and is associated with a lower risk of SIDS, while sharing an adult bed with your baby raises the risk of suffocation and entrapment. And here is the compassionate truth every exhausted parent deserves to hear: during a feeding at three in the morning, you may fall asleep without meaning to. If there is any chance of that, the AAP notes that an adult bed cleared of pillows and loose blankets is less hazardous than a sofa or armchair, which are among the most dangerous places to fall asleep with a baby. Plan for the night you are most tired, not the night you are at your best, and move your baby back to their own sleep space when you wake.

Swaddling: snug, on the back, and done once rolling begins

A swaddle can calm a newborn by recreating the snug feeling of the womb, and it is fine to use one in the early weeks if you follow a few rules. Wrap snugly around the chest but never tight, and leave room at the hips so the legs can bend up and out, which protects hip development. A swaddled baby always sleeps on the back. The firm stopping point comes from the AAP: stop swaddling as soon as your baby shows any sign of trying to roll, because a swaddled baby who reaches the tummy cannot use their arms to reposition. Many babies show those signs in the first few months, so watch early. After the swaddle, a sleep sack that leaves the arms free keeps the cozy feeling without the risk.

Pacifiers have a place at sleep time

It may surprise you that the pacifier appears in safe sleep guidance. The AAP suggests offering a pacifier at nap time and bedtime, because pacifier use during sleep is associated with a reduced risk of SIDS. If you are breastfeeding, it is reasonable to wait until feeding is going well before introducing one. A few rules keep it safe: never attach the pacifier to a string, clip, or stuffed toy for sleep, and if it falls out after your baby drifts off, there is no need to put it back. And if your baby simply refuses a pacifier, do not force it. It is an option, not a requirement.

Sleep sacks, layers, and the signs of overheating

A sleep sack, also called a wearable blanket, is the safe answer to the blanket question: it keeps your baby warm with nothing loose in the crib. For layering, the AAP offers a practical rule: dress your baby in no more than one layer more than you would wear to be comfortable in the same room. Skip hats and head coverings indoors during sleep. To check on warmth, feel the chest or the back of the neck rather than the hands and feet, which often run cool. Sweating, damp hair, a flushed face, or skin that feels hot are signs your baby is too warm, and overheating is itself a risk factor the AAP warns about. Most babies need less bundling than our instincts tell us.

Everyone who cares for your baby follows the same rules

Safe sleep only works when it travels with your baby. A baby who is used to sleeping on the back and is placed on the tummy by another caregiver faces increased risk, so consistency matters more than perfection ever could. Talk with grandparents and relatives kindly and directly, because the guidance has changed since they raised children, and what they did with love decades ago is simply not what the AAP recommends today. Licensed child care programs are generally required to follow safe infant sleep practices, and it is completely fair to ask any daycare how and where babies sleep before you enroll. If sleep questions pile up between checkups, Materna can help you keep track. Materna is a bilingual, voice-first platform for pregnancy and postpartum care in Arizona, California, Texas, and Pennsylvania, and the Mommy Passport, free for patients, lets you save questions just by talking, in English or Spanish, so you can bring them to your pediatric visits. Materna does not replace your clinician, and for any urgent concern about your baby, call your provider, or 911 in an emergency.

Read the newborn care guide for the first weeks

Frequently asked questions

What if my baby rolls onto the tummy during sleep?: Once your baby can roll confidently in both directions, back to tummy and tummy to back, you do not need to reposition them during the night. Per the AAP, still place your baby on the back at the start of every sleep until the first birthday, and keep the sleep space bare so rolling is safe.
When should I stop swaddling my baby?: Stop swaddling as soon as your baby shows any sign of trying to roll, which can happen in the first few months. The AAP recommends this firm cutoff because a swaddled baby who ends up on the tummy cannot use the arms to reposition. A sleep sack with free arms is the next step.
Do I need to put the pacifier back in if it falls out?: No. The AAP suggests offering a pacifier at nap time and bedtime because it is associated with a lower risk of SIDS, but once your baby is asleep and the pacifier falls out, you do not need to replace it. Never attach a pacifier to a string, clip, or stuffed toy for sleep.
Can my baby sleep in a car seat, swing, or bouncer?: Not for routine sleep. The AAP recommends a firm, flat, non-inclined surface for every sleep. Car seats are for travel, and if your baby falls asleep during a ride, move them to a crib, bassinet, or play yard when you arrive.
How warm should my baby be at night?: A useful AAP rule is to dress your baby in no more than one layer more than you would wear to be comfortable in the same room, with a sleep sack instead of a loose blanket and no hat indoors. Check the chest or the back of the neck: sweating, damp hair, or hot, flushed skin mean your baby is too warm.