What should be in the crib with my baby?

Only a firm, flat mattress that fits tightly and a fitted sheet. The AAP advises keeping pillows, blankets, bumpers, stuffed animals, and weighted products out of the sleep area — a wearable blanket or sleep sack is the recommended way to keep baby warm.

How long should my baby sleep in my room?

The AAP recommends room-sharing (baby on a separate surface in your room) for at least the first 6 months, which can cut SIDS risk by up to about 50%. It advises against bed-sharing.

Are weighted swaddles or weighted blankets safe?

The AAP advises against weighted blankets, weighted swaddles, and weighted sleep products for infants. Keep the sleep surface firm, flat, and free of weighted or loose items.

Health & safety · 6 min read

Safe sleep for babies: the current AAP guidelines, explained

Sleep-related infant death is one of the things new parents worry about most — and it's also one where a few clear habits make a real difference. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its safe-sleep guidance in 2022. Here is what the current recommendations say, in plain language, with links to the source so you can read it yourself.

Last reviewed July 20, 2026

This is general educational information summarizing public guidance from the AAP, NHTSA, CDC, and FDA — it is not medical advice. Your pediatrician and the manufacturer's product manual always take precedence, and guidelines can change; follow the linked sources for the current version.

Always place your baby on their back to sleep

For every sleep — naps and nighttime — through the first year, the AAP recommends putting your baby down on their back. Babies who sleep on their backs are far less likely to die suddenly than those placed on their stomach or side.

Use a firm, flat, separate sleep surface

The AAP recommends a crib, bassinet, portable crib, or play yard that meets current CPSC safety standards, with a firm, flat (non-inclined) mattress that fits tightly and a fitted sheet — nothing else. The surface should not be soft or angled.

Keep the sleep area bare

Remove soft objects and loose bedding from the sleep space: pillows, quilts, comforters, blankets, crib bumpers, stuffed toys, and weighted blankets or weighted swaddles. These create entrapment and suffocation risks. A wearable blanket or sleep sack is the AAP's suggested way to keep a baby warm without loose bedding.

Share a room, not a bed

The AAP recommends that your baby sleep in your room, close to your bed but on their own separate sleep surface, ideally for at least the first 6 months. Room-sharing can lower the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%. The AAP does not recommend bed-sharing (sleeping in the same bed) under any circumstances.

Don't let your baby get too hot

Overheating raises risk. Dress your baby in about one more layer than an adult would wear to be comfortable, and watch for signs of overheating like sweating or a hot chest. Keep the head uncovered during sleep.

Other steps that protect your baby

The AAP also points to breastfeeding (associated with lower SIDS risk), offering a pacifier at nap and bedtime, keeping baby away from smoke, alcohol, and drugs, and keeping up with well-child visits and immunizations.

Common questions

What should be in the crib with my baby?: Only a firm, flat mattress that fits tightly and a fitted sheet. The AAP advises keeping pillows, blankets, bumpers, stuffed animals, and weighted products out of the sleep area — a wearable blanket or sleep sack is the recommended way to keep baby warm.
How long should my baby sleep in my room?: The AAP recommends room-sharing (baby on a separate surface in your room) for at least the first 6 months, which can cut SIDS risk by up to about 50%. It advises against bed-sharing.
Are weighted swaddles or weighted blankets safe?: The AAP advises against weighted blankets, weighted swaddles, and weighted sleep products for infants. Keep the sleep surface firm, flat, and free of weighted or loose items.