The new grandparents' guide to safer sleep
by Kate Holmes
Head of Support & Information at The Lullaby Trust
Becoming a grandparent is one of life's momentous events, second only to becoming a parent yourself!
The bond between grandparents and grandchildren is unique and special. You have more time, more patience, and more knowledge than when you were raising your babies.
The changing role of grandparents
We know that grandparents are taking a more active, hands-on role in childcare these days. Recent statistics show that 63% of all grandparents with grandchildren under 16 help out with childcare, and 1 in 5 grandmothers provide at least 10 hours a week of childcare!
With this in mind, we thought it might be helpful for grandparents and parents to share some of the critical changes in baby sleep advice over the last 25-30 years so that you feel confident when caring for your first grandchild and avoid any new grandparent pitfalls.
As a new grandparent, if you've already started looking at products with your children, you will doubt have been amazed by what's on offer and, indeed, how you survived without so many gadgets and products ‘to make ‘parenting easier’. At Folk & Thread, we like to keep things simple, so we teamed up with the Lullaby Trust, the UK’s leading safer sleep charity, to produce this simple fact sheet to help grandparents navigate baby sleep in today's world. We've also created a simple checklist of all the essentials needed to keep your little one safe and sound when staying with grandparents. Download it and share it!
What are the key changes in advice?
The two key areas of advice centre around our understanding of how overheating can increase SIDS and how to prevent accidental suffocation in babies. As a result of the education and advice offered by the Lullaby Trust over the last 40 years, cases of SIDS have dropped by 83%.
1. Put them on their back for every sleep
The safest sleeping position for a baby is on their back, so always place your grandchild on their back to sleep and not on their front or side. Sleeping the baby on their back (known as the supine position) for every sleep, day and night, is one of the most protective actions you can take to ensure your grandchild's sleeping as safely as possible.
There is substantial evidence from around the world to show that sleeping baby on their back at the beginning of every sleep or nap (day and night) significantly reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Some parents and grandparents worry that by sleeping their baby on the back, they will be at a greater risk of choking on their vomit. However, no research has found this not to be the case, and we now know that babies are far safer sleeping on their backs. If your grandchild has reflux or any other ongoing health condition, their doctor will advise about the best care for them.
Your grandchild should not sleep on their front unless you have been advised to do so by a medical professional. Do not incline, tilt or prop the mattress, cot or baby. Doing so will not help with reflux.
Once your grandchild can move themselves from their back to their front and back again by themselves, they will be able to find their own sleeping position.
The first few times they roll onto their tummy, you might like to turn them back gently, but don’t feel you have to get up all night to check. Give them some time to play on their tummy while they are awake to help their development, but make sure you supervise them while they are on their front.
2. Baby should sleep in a clear, flat, separate sleep space
The safest cot is a clear cot. Babies are at a higher risk of SIDS if they have their heads covered so keep cots clear of any items such as bumpers, toys and loose bedding. That means removing anything that isn’t essential, so when you prepare your grandchild’s sleep space, remember:
No pillows or duvets
No cot bumpers
No soft toys or comforters
No weighted or bulky bedding
No products (such as wedges or straps) designed to keep your baby in one sleeping position
No pods or nests, rolled up towels or anything soft placed on top of the mattress
3. Baby should sleep in the same room for the first 6 months
Babies should always be in the same room as you or their parents for the first six months for sleep, day and night. This doesn’t mean you can’t leave the room to make a cup of tea or go to the toilet, but for most of the time, when they are sleeping, they are safest if you are close by. There are no devices on the market that will substitute a parent or carer being in the same room as baby for safer sleep.
The safest place for a baby to sleep is in their own clear, flat, separate sleep space, such as a cot or Moses basket for daytime naps and nighttime sleeps. Never sleep with your grandchild on a sofa or armchair as the risk of SIDS is 50 times higher for babies when they sleep on a sofa or armchair with an adult. They are also at risk of accidental death as they can easily slip into a position where they are trapped and can’t breathe.
4. Use a baby sleep bag or lightweight bedding
One of the biggest changes in the nighttime routine is the bedding available to parents and grandparents. Quilts, duvets, and bulky bedding are not recommended, as babies were slipping down under the covers and, in some cases, suffocating or overheating.
Baby sleep bags were introduced to the UK around 2000 and are considered one of the safest forms of bedding for your baby. While the baby has complete freedom of movement within the sleep bag, the fitted neck and armholes ensure no danger of your grandchild slipping into or out. Therefore, provided a suitable level of nightwear is worn, and the baby is placed in the correct size of baby sleep bag for their weight/age/height, they can sleep safely at a pleasant and constant temperature throughout the night. The design of the bags not only means there is no danger of your grandchild either slipping inside/underneath or getting tangled in the covers, it also means they can’t kick them off and become too cold.
Baby sleep bags are suitable from birth but always check the label to ensure your grandchild is the correct weight before use. Any baby sleep bag that meets the latest safety standard BS EN 16781:2018 is suitable for babies from 7 lbs.
Lightweight bedding can also be used but ensure the baby is placed in the 'feet to foot' position at all times and that it is firmly tucked into the mattress to avoid suffocation and or overheating.
Feet to foot refers to the baby's sleeping position in a crib, Moses basket or cot. The baby's feet are positioned at the end of the mattress so that if using blankets and sheets, the sheets, the baby cannot slip down inside.
5. Babies do not need to wear hats indoors
Babies’ heads are an important way for them to lose heat if they need to, so remove hats when inside. In hospitals, it is common for babies to wear hats, however, they are supervised at all times and their temperature is regularly checked. Always remove hats, even lightweight jersey-style hats indoors, including inside the car.
6. The recommended room temperature for babies is 16-20°C
The recommended room temperature for babies is 16-20°C. It’s important to ensure that the baby is comfortable—not too hot or too cold. The chance of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is higher in babies who get too hot.
A room temperature of 16-20°C – with light bedding or a lightweight, well-fitting baby sleep bag– is comfortable and safest for sleeping babies.
You will still need to check the baby regularly to see if they are too hot. To do this, feel your grandchild’s chest or the back of their neck (the baby’s hands and feet will usually be cooler, which is normal). If the baby’s skin is hot or sweaty, remove one or more layers of bedclothes or bedding.
When babies feel unwell, with a cold or fever, they may be warmer than usual. It is important that you put fewer layers on an unwell baby so they have the opportunity to lower their body temperature – don’t feel tempted to wrap an unwell baby up more than usual. If your grandchild shows signs of being significantly unwell you should seek medical advice.
We hope you found this guide useful, if you need any further help or advice visit the Lullaby Safer Sleep Hub on our website or send us an email
By Kate Holmes,
Head of Support and Information
The Lullaby Trust