Safer Sleep week 11-17th March 2024

Public Health are supporting the Safer Sleep Week campaign lead by the Lullaby Trust, Safer Sleep Week – The Lullaby Trust and would like to cascade this email and encourage you to share information with parents and families you come into contact with.

What is Safer Sleep Week?

Safer Sleep Week is The Lullaby Trust’s national awareness campaign targeting anyone looking after a young baby. It aims to raise awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and the simple advice that reduces the risk of it occurring.
We know that greater awareness of safer sleep leads to a decrease in the numbers of babies dying.
Sadly around 3 babies a week still die from SIDS and if all parents were aware of safer sleep advice many lives could be saved. Around 700,000 babies are born every year in the UK and we need to continue to reach out to all new parents with our life-saving message.

Safer Sleep Week Theme

The theme for this year’s Safer Sleep Week campaign is ‘the safest place’. Babies’ airways are vulnerable, particularly in the first few months of life, so it is important that parents and carers are aware of this and the actions they can take to protect them. The simplest way to do this is by sleeping a baby on their back on a firm, flat surface with no padded or cushioned areas. This will help to keep their airways open and reduce the risk of suffocation and SIDS. A cot, Moses basket, bassinet, carry cot, or crib all fulfil these criteria.

Many baby products on the market are not suitable for babies to sleep in, even some which are designed for this purpose. We aim to empower parents with the knowledge to make informed choices about their baby’s sleeping place and understand why some products are not suitable for baby sleep and how to identify and avoid them.

We want parents to be confident about choosing a safer sleep space for their baby. We also want to advise parents in vulnerable or emergency situations what to do if they don’t have a cot or Moses basket.

This campaign will show parents and carers the simplest way to create a safe sleep space for their baby that will help to protect their vulnerable airway and reduce the risk of SIDS and accidents.

Campaign resources