The Lullaby Trust. Safer sleep for babies, Support for families

The Lullaby Trust exists to keep babies safe and keep grieving families supported. We do this by:

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• Empowering parents, carers and professionals with trusted and life-saving advice on safer sleep and baby safety.
• Funding research into sudden and unexpected death of babies and young children, to save lives.
• Offering anyone affected by the sudden or unexpected death of a baby or young child a supportive space with bereavement support.

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Our impact:‍

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The work we have done over the decades has reduced the rates of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by 81% since 1991. We’ve invested over £12 million into research over the years, which paired with nation-conquering safer sleep guidance and awareness, has saved over 30,000 babies’ lives (since 1991). We will not rest until no baby dies suddenly or unexpectedly.

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Safer Sleep Week 2025 – 10 – 16 March

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One of our key campaigns of the year is Safer Sleep Week. We know that greater awareness of safer sleep leads to a decrease in the number of babies dying from SIDS, and gives families a safer start to life. With life-saving messages and safer sleep advice, we will empower families and professionals with trusted advice.

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‍For Safer Sleep Week 2025, we’ll be:

1. Exploring baby sleep cycles. How long should your baby be sleeping for at their age? When should you seek professional advice?
2. Busting baby sleep myths. Which myths and products are backed by evidence, and which aren’t, or could even be dangerous for your baby.
3. Supporting parents and carers through their own lack of sleep. We’ll help you with sleep deprivation, and make it easier for you to follow safer sleep with your baby, even when exhausted.‍

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‍Safer sleep tips to support new families‍

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We’ve put together the below tips to follow safer sleep for your baby. There is much more detail for each point on our website: lullabytrust.org.uk. Decades of research has shaped our expert advice. It has been proven to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), which can give you peace of mind to enjoy precious time with your baby.

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1. Sleep position

Put your baby on their back for every sleep, day and night. The best way to make sure your baby sleeps on their back is to do this from day one. This is the best sleeping position for a baby as the chance of SIDS is particularly high for babies who are sometimes placed on their front or side.

2. The safest place

The safest place for a baby to sleep is in their own clear, flat, separate sleep space, such as a cot or moses basket. We recommend a firm and flat mattress in good condition, with a waterproof cover. You will know if the mattress is firm enough, as your baby’s head shouldn’t sink further than a few millimeters. The waterproof cover helps to keep the mattress clean and dry.

3. Sleep in the same room

The safest place for a baby to sleep is in the same room as you for the first six months for all sleeps, both day and night. When your baby sleeps in the same room, but not the same bed as you, the risk of SIDS significantly reduces. This doesn’t mean you can’t leave the room to make a drink or go to the toilet. If you do, you can keep the door open. But your baby is safest when they’re sleeping and you’re nearby.

4. A clear cot

Parents and carers have a massive range of baby sleep products to choose from now, and it can feel overwhelming. But our advice is simple: the safest cot is a clear cot. Babies need just two items in their cot – a firm, flat, waterproof mattress and lightweight bedding or baby sleepbag. Bumpers, toys, loose bedding or anything else can put babies at a higher risk of having their heads covered.

5. Keep baby smoke-free

It’s known that smoking around babies is not good for their health, but the evidence is stark for smoking and SIDS, too. Smoking could be linked to 60% of sudden infant deaths. As a result, we advise not just stopping smoking during pregnancy, but also keeping your baby, and any places they spend time (e.g. a car), completely smoke-free.

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Q&A with The Lullaby Trust's Chief Executive, Jenny Ward

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1. What’s the one piece of advice you would give to any new parent?

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Have confidence in your boundaries.

We hear from parents and carers that they can feel ‘awkward’ asking other people caring for their baby to stick to safer sleep practices. Or when they ask people holding their baby to wash their hands, or request they don’t kiss their baby (to help prevent the spread of infection, which babies are particularly vulnerable to). It’s important that parents and carers stay strong about their boundaries when it comes to their baby’s safety. If you are struggling with implementing those boundaries, it can be helpful to send those caring for your baby a link to our website, instead of delivering the information yourself.

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2. As new parents we cherish the time our newborn falls asleep, and we can get some rest ourselves. Why do you say it is important not to let your baby sleep in a bouncer or swing?

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We advise this because the safest place for a baby to sleep is in a firm, flat, separate and clear sleep space. Bouncers and swings are not firm and flat. Baby’s head can also slump forwards in swings and bouncers, which can fold their airway (breathing tube),which can make it difficult for them to breathe. Having a newborn is exhausting, so before getting some rest yourself, take the baby out of the swing or bouncer and put them in their own clear, separate sleep space, such as a cot or Moses basket. Then you too can get some much-needed rest.

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3. There are so many sleep products on the market.  In your view, what are the main sleep items a new parent needs for their baby?

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You don’t need to buy lots of products, or spend a lot of money to achieve safer sleep. There are just a few items that we’d recommend:

- A cot or Moses basket

- A portable sleep space, such as a Moses basket, travel or carry cot

- A mattress

- A sleeping bag, or sheets and a blanket

- A room thermometer

- A car seat

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4. The work you have done in saving babies’ lives is amazing. What are the Charity's main aims for the next 5 years?

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‍We know that awareness of safer sleep saves babies’ lives. One of our key focus areas over the next five years is on the inequalities that mean some babies and young children are more likely to die than others. For example, families living in the most deprived areas of the country continue to experience a disproportionally higher rate of SIDS. Our job is to keep babies safe, so we’ve recently started to deliver Bedtime Bundles to those living in temporary accommodation, to reduce the barriers that make it hard to practice safer sleep in temporary accommodation. With the people living in temporary accommodation on the rise, we expect the need for our Bedtime Bundles will continue to grow. And we want to be there, for every family and for every baby.

Another key area for us is further growing our bereavement support. No family should face grieving for their baby alone. We want to reach everyone affected by the death of a baby or young child, and support them through their darkest days. We also want to expand our Care of Next Infant (CONI) programme, to support bereaved parents with the fears and anxieties they have when they have subsequent children.

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