The ABC's of Safe Sleep are 3 simple steps you can take to ensure your baby is always sleeping as safely as possible.

Always - it's easy to say that 'just this once' will be ok if your baby is sleeping in a less than ideal scenario. So, the 'A' is to remind you that you ensure they are as safe as possible for every sleep.

Back - The Back to Sleep campaign in the early 1990's meant that the incidence of Sudden Infant Death (SIDS) dropped by more than half between 1989 and 1992. It is best to do this right from the start so that it becomes routine for your baby. As your baby learns to roll from their back to front (but may yet be able to roll themselves back) you may want to encourage this skill more in the first few days so they can manage rolling both ways by themselves overnight. Once they can roll from back to front and back again, you should always continue to settle them initially on their back, but if they roll over in their sleep, it is perfectly safe to leave them! 

Clear - Ensure your baby is alone in their cot without any loose bedding, toys, comfort blankets or bumpers. Babies simply need to be settled on a firm, clean and clear mattress with lightweight bedding - such as a sleeping bag, swaddle or tucked in blanket. So many companies now try to sell new parents products to 'position' babies for sleep or wall in the baby somehow (such as Nest or Pod product...) however these are not safe for sleep and increase the risk of baby overheating or suffocating. Meanwhile 'cot bumpers' are sold to nervous parents worried about their children's arms and legs getting stuck in the bars. These carry risk of entanglement and are unnecessary in a cot that meets British Standards.

So, in summary, save the pennies on cot accessories! A clear cot, with baby placed on their back, is always the safest place for sleep!