Doctors recommend room-sharing as a way to reduce the risk of SIDS by up to 50%.

Avoid co-sleeping on feather beds, air mattresses, and waterbeds.

If you use heavier blankets, never cover the baby’s head with it. Make sure the sheets fit the bed so there’s no risk of the baby getting tangled up in loose sheets.

This may be preferable once your baby starts moving around a lot.

This positions helps you avoid rolling away or towards your baby, and keeps your pillow away from your baby.

Keep the head uncovered, which will help their core temperature adjust as needed. Place them in their regular pajamas when you sleep.

You can pull your hair into a ponytail, braid it, or place it in a bun.

If you leave the room, your baby may roll off the bed or end up wedged between something.

The baby should be placed on one side of one of the parents, with that parent facing the baby. The parent’s back should be toward the other adult in the bed.

Sleeping with your baby on this furniture can cause your baby to overheat and suffocate. Your baby may become wedged between the cushions or between your body and the furniture.

For example, you should not co-sleep with your baby if you have been drinking alcohol or if you take any medication or drugs that will make you drowsy or sleepy. These substances can alter your thought processes, which can lead to you forgetting that your baby is in the bed with you. You may also sleep too deeply and accidentally roll over onto the baby.

Even if you don’t smoke at home or in bed, you still shouldn’t co-sleep with your baby. The smoke remnants can lead to respiratory problems – an increase the risk of SIDS.

If your other child needs to sleep with you, place an adult between the baby and the other children. If your toddler doesn’t understand that you need to focus on your baby, you can place the baby on a crib near you instead of co-sleeping with them.

You should also not share a bed with your baby if you have conditions that make it difficult for you to wake up or be roused from sleep, like sleep apnea.

Know that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends room-sharing for the first 6 to 12 months of a baby’s life. This can reduce the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%. [23] X Research source Room-sharing is when there is a crib or bassinet in the room near the bed. Bedside sleepers that are attached to the bed are also popular. The parents have easy access to the baby. Bed-sharing is when the baby sleeps in the same bed.

You should weigh the pros and cons and decide if bed-sharing is something you believe would benefit you and your baby. Talk to your pediatrician about the risk of bed-sharing, too. Co-sleeping is not for everyone. You have to figure out if it fits your lifestyle, especially for the first 6 months after birth. Apart from the risk of SIDS, bed-sharing may also make it harder for the parent to get restful sleep and harder for the baby to transition to their own bed later on.

Don’t put the baby in a bed if your partner is asleep and unaware that the baby is in the bed.