When can my baby sleep on their stomach?

Always place your baby on their back for sleep up to 1 year of age, for every nap and at night. Once your baby can roll both ways on their own, usually around 4 to 6 months, you do not have to reposition them if they roll to their stomach during sleep, but you still start every sleep on the back.

How long should we room-share without bed-sharing?

The AAP recommends keeping your baby's crib, bassinet, or play yard in your room for at least the first 6 months, and preferably up to 1 year. Room-sharing without sharing a bed can lower the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%. Bed-sharing is not recommended.

Are weighted swaddles or weighted blankets safe for babies?

No. The AAP advises against weighted blankets, weighted sleepers, and weighted swaddles for infants, as well as rice bags or similar weights placed inside a swaddle. Use a plain wearable blanket or a snug, lightweight swaddle, and stop swaddling once your baby shows signs of rolling.

Can my baby nap in a swing, car seat, or inclined sleeper?

Sitting devices like car seats, swings, bouncers, and carriers are not for routine sleep. If your baby falls asleep in one, move them to a firm, flat surface as soon as you can. Inclined sleepers are not safe for sleep either: any surface that inclines more than 10 degrees raises the risk.

Should I give my baby a pacifier at sleep?

Offering a pacifier at nap time and bedtime is linked to a lower risk of SIDS. If you are breastfeeding, wait until breastfeeding is going well and your baby is gaining weight before introducing one. If the pacifier falls out after your baby is asleep, you do not need to put it back, and never attach it to a cord around the neck.

Safe sleep · 0–12 mo

Safe Sleep Guidelines for Babies

Creator: ParentFlow
Published: 2026-06-17

Is my baby sleeping safely tonight?

The AAP's 2022 safe sleep guidance comes down to three things: your baby sleeps alone, on their back, in a bare crib. Here is what that means at each step, with the exact thresholds.

6 min read Safe sleep Updated June 2026

Reviewed against current AAP and CDC guidance

The ABCs of safe sleep

Alone: your baby sleeps on their own surface, with nothing else in it. No bed-sharing, no pillows, no toys, no other people.
Back: place your baby on their back for every sleep, naps and night, up to 1 year of age.
Crib: use a crib, bassinet, portable crib, or play yard that meets current safety standards, with a firm, flat, non-inclined surface and a tight-fitting sheet only.
Room-share without bed-sharing: keep the crib or bassinet in your room for at least the first 6 months, preferably up to 1 year. This can lower SIDS risk by as much as 50%.

Never do this

Never put your baby to sleep on their stomach or side. Back is the only safe position for sleep.
Never use an inclined sleeper for sleep. Any surface that inclines more than 10 degrees is not safe.
Never leave your baby to sleep in a car seat, swing, bouncer, or carrier. Move them to a firm, flat surface as soon as you can.
Never add pillows, blankets, quilts, comforters, bumper pads, mattress toppers, non-fitted sheets, or stuffed toys to the sleep space.
Never use a weighted blanket, weighted sleeper, or weighted swaddle. They are not safe for infants.
Never bed-share if you or your partner smoke, have used alcohol, marijuana, opioids, or any sedating medicine. Risk can be more than 10 times higher.
Never let your baby sleep on a couch or armchair with you. Risk there can be up to 67 times higher than sleeping alone.

Safe sleep myths, decoded

You may have heard	What the AAP says
Inclined sleepers help with reflux and keep babies asleep	Not safe for sleep. Any incline over 10 degrees raises suffocation risk. Use a firm, flat surface.
A weighted swaddle or weighted blanket soothes the baby	Not safe. Do not use weighted blankets, sleepers, or swaddles, or rice bags inside a swaddle.
A bumper pad protects the baby from hitting the rails	Not safe. Bumper pads are a suffocation and strangulation risk. The crib stays bare.
Side sleeping prevents choking	Not safe. Babies on their backs are much less likely to die suddenly. Back is the only safe position.
Home heart or oxygen monitors prevent SIDS	There is no evidence consumer monitors reduce SIDS risk. They do not replace safe sleep practices.
A car seat or swing is fine for naps	Sitting devices are not for routine sleep. Move your baby to a firm, flat surface as soon as possible.

What changes as your baby grows

Newborn to ~3 months

Back for every sleep. Swaddling is fine if you place your baby on their back and the wrap is not too tight to breathe.
Offer a pacifier at nap and bedtime. If you breastfeed, wait until breastfeeding is going well and your baby is gaining weight before offering one.
If the pacifier falls out after your baby is asleep, you do not need to put it back. Never attach it to a cord around the neck.
Indoors, skip the hat after you leave the hospital. Watch for overheating: sweating, a hot chest, or flushed skin.

A bare crib looks empty. That is the goal.

~3 to 4 months

Stop swaddling as soon as your baby shows signs of trying to roll, which usually happens around 3 to 4 months and sometimes earlier.
Keep placing your baby on their back. Once a baby can roll both ways on their own, you do not need to reposition them.

Rolling is a normal step. Your job is the starting position: always back.

By 7 weeks and beyond

Give tummy time while your baby is awake and an adult is watching, starting soon after you come home: aim for at least 15 to 30 minutes a day by 7 weeks of age.
Tummy time is never for sleep. Back to sleep, tummy to play.

Tummy time builds the neck and shoulder strength your baby needs.

Other ways to lower the risk

Breastfeed if you can. Human milk reduces the risk of SIDS, and the longer you give it, the more protection it offers. The AAP suggests human milk as the sole source of nutrition for about the first 6 months.
Keep the air smoke-free. Do not smoke or vape near your baby, even outside, and keep your home and car smoke-free.
Avoid alcohol, marijuana, opioids, and illicit drugs during pregnancy and around your baby.
Dress your baby in no more than one layer more than you are wearing for the room temperature.
Keep well-child visits and vaccinations on schedule. Evidence suggests vaccinations may help protect against SIDS.

Quick bedtime check

Is my baby on their back?
Is the surface firm, flat, and meeting current safety standards?
Is the crib bare, with only a tight-fitting sheet?
Is the crib or bassinet in my room?
Is the room a comfortable temperature, with no hat indoors?

If you are worried tonight

Sudden unexpected infant death is rare, and these steps are what the evidence shows you can control. If your baby has any breathing trouble, turns blue, is hard to wake, or you ever feel something is wrong, that is not a safe-sleep question. Call 911 for a baby who is not breathing or unresponsive, and call your pediatrician for anything that worries you.

Quick answers

When can my baby sleep on their stomach?: Always place your baby on their back for sleep up to 1 year of age, for every nap and at night. Once your baby can roll both ways on their own, usually around 4 to 6 months, you do not have to reposition them if they roll to their stomach during sleep, but you still start every sleep on the back.
How long should we room-share without bed-sharing?: The AAP recommends keeping your baby's crib, bassinet, or play yard in your room for at least the first 6 months, and preferably up to 1 year. Room-sharing without sharing a bed can lower the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%. Bed-sharing is not recommended.
Are weighted swaddles or weighted blankets safe for babies?: No. The AAP advises against weighted blankets, weighted sleepers, and weighted swaddles for infants, as well as rice bags or similar weights placed inside a swaddle. Use a plain wearable blanket or a snug, lightweight swaddle, and stop swaddling once your baby shows signs of rolling.
Can my baby nap in a swing, car seat, or inclined sleeper?: Sitting devices like car seats, swings, bouncers, and carriers are not for routine sleep. If your baby falls asleep in one, move them to a firm, flat surface as soon as you can. Inclined sleepers are not safe for sleep either: any surface that inclines more than 10 degrees raises the risk.
Should I give my baby a pacifier at sleep?: Offering a pacifier at nap time and bedtime is linked to a lower risk of SIDS. If you are breastfeeding, wait until breastfeeding is going well and your baby is gaining weight before introducing one. If the pacifier falls out after your baby is asleep, you do not need to put it back, and never attach it to a cord around the neck.

Reflects the American Academy of Pediatrics 2022 updated safe-sleep recommendations.

Sources & further reading

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This guide reflects current AAP and CDC guidance and is for educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice. ParentFlow is a wellness companion — not a substitute for your pediatrician. For any medical concern, contact your healthcare provider.