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Dad Field Manual · Field card 112 · New Dads & Babies

Set up a safe sleep space, then check it every night

Most of what keeps a sleeping baby safe is simple and easy to get wrong at 2 a.m. Spend twenty minutes setting up the sleep space once, then take five minutes each night to check it, so the rules don't depend on whoever is most awake.

Time
20 min, then 5 min a night
Cost
$0–$70
Ages
Newborn to 1
Where
Your bedroom

What you need

  • A crib, bassinet or play yard that meets federal (CPSC) safety standards
  • The mattress made for it, and a fitted sheet
  • A wearable blanket or sleeper, for cool nights
  • The product's instructions and its model number

Read this first

  • Never sleep with the baby on a couch or armchair. AAP says the risk of sleep-related infant death there is up to 67 times higher.
  • No inclined sleepers, rockers or swings for sleep. CPSC says products angled more than 10 degrees should never be used for infant sleep.
  • Nothing weighted. No weighted blankets, swaddles or sleepers on or near the baby.
  • If the baby isn't breathing or won't wake, call 911 right away. For sleep questions, ask your pediatrician.

Steps

  1. Check the bed itself. Check the model for recalls at SaferProducts.gov. Skip any crib that's broken, missing parts or missing instructions.
  2. Make the mattress firm, flat and tight. The mattress made for the crib, a fitted sheet only. Press it: firm, flat, level, springs back.
  3. Clear the crib. Nothing in the crib but the baby and a fitted sheet. Use a wearable blanket, not a loose one.
  4. Put it next to your bed. Crib in your room, next to your bed, for at least 6 months. The baby never sleeps in your bed.
  5. Back to sleep, every sleep. On the back, alone, every nap and every night. Fell asleep somewhere else? Move them to the crib.
  6. Run the 5-minute nightly check. Each night: on the back, crib bare, sheet tight, not too warm, no hat, no swaddle once rolling starts.

If it stalls

  • If the baby only sleeps in your arms or the swing, keep moving them to the crib on their back anyway. The rule is about where they sleep, not how they fall asleep.
  • If a relative gives you a bumper, a pillow or a nest, say thanks and put it away. "Our doctor says the crib stays bare."
Nights the 5-minute check got done
Signed off: can do this.Signed by Date