Room sharing refers to a baby sleeping in their own safe sleep environment and in the same room with you. You are not sharing a sleep space, like an adult bed with baby. Room sharing is safe to do with your baby, bed sharing is not.

No. It is very dangerous for other children, pets or adults to sleep in the same space as baby. Tragically, baby can be unintentionally smothered by other people, pets, or objects like pillows or blankets in their sleep space.

As early as 4 months old, babies may start rolling over by themselves while sleeping. If your baby is rolling over on their own, you do not have to roll them back over while sleeping, but every time you put baby to bed or down for a nap, always lay them on their backs to sleep until they are 1 year old.

Safe sleep recommendations have change throughout the years. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that babies need to sleep on their back until they are 1 year old. Research shows that this is one of the best ways to prevent an infant death from SIDS or suffocation. "Back is best!"

No. Many parents are concerned that baby will choke on their spit-up if they sleep on their back. Due to baby’s anatomy, babies in back sleeping positions will re-swallow any spit-up, back down their esophagus into their stomach. Babies who spit-up while sleeping on their stomach have the risk of their spit-up traveling into their windpipe (trachea) possibly causing them to choke.

Yes, but only offer pacifiers to baby after breastfeeding has been firmly established. Some research indicates that if baby is using a pacifier, it protects them from SIDS. If the pacifiers falls out of baby’s mouth while sleeping, you don’t need to place it back in their mouth.

Yes. If someone is caring for your baby, talk to them about safe sleep. Safe sleep recommendations have changed over the years so it's important to talk to caregivers and share the most up-to-date scientific information.

• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services - Safe Sleep for Your Baby
• Smoking and Safe Sleep
• Safe Sleep and Vaccines
• Don't Let Baby Get Too Hot
• Is This Infant Safe Sleep? Checklist
• Soothing a Crying Baby

• Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2022 Recommendations for Reducing Infant Deaths in the Sleep Environment
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
• National Institutes of Health: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• How Safe Sleep Savvy Are You?
• Risk Reduction for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Other Sleep-Related Causes of Infant Death: A Continuing Education (CE) Activity for Nurses
• Building on Campaigns with Conversation: An Individualized Approach to Helping Families Embrace Safe Sleep and Breastfeeding
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Safe Sleep Communications Toolkit
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Safe to Sleep Campaign

• National Institute for Children’s Health Quality
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

• Follow the ABCs of Safe Sleep
• Infant Safe Sleep ABCs

• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) approves major new federal safety standard for infant sleep products. 

• U.S. CPSC approves new federal safety standard for crib mattresses.

• Sign-up for U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls