How should a newborn sleep? The safe-sleep basics

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends putting babies on their backs, on a firm, flat sleep surface in a clear cot. It recommends keeping the cot in your room for at least six months. This guidance reduces sleep-related risks; ask your child health nurse or GP about your baby's circumstances.

A clear, flat sleep space

The AAP recommends a fitted sheet with no pillows, loose blankets, quilts, soft toys or bumpers. A sleep sack can provide warmth. Inclined sleepers are unsuitable. Stop swaddling when your baby starts trying to roll, and avoid weighted sleep products.

Close by, in their own cot

The AAP recommends room-sharing without bed-sharing. Its estimate of a SIDS risk reduction of up to half refers specifically to that arrangement, rather than to every measure in this article.

Night care can be difficult to manage. If your sleep arrangements are hard to maintain, talk them through with your child health nurse or GP.

What the tracker records

Wriggler's free sleep tracker records when a sleep started and ended. It cannot assess a sleeping space or tell whether a baby is safe. The guidance here comes from the sources below; questions about your own baby belong with the people caring for them.