Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding and safe sleep work together to keep your baby healthy and safe.
Breastfeeding
- Giving your baby a pacifier can reduce the risk of SIDS, but you should wait to use a pacifier until you and your baby are comfortable with breastfeeding.
- Your milk gives nutrients to your baby and keeps them happy and healthy. It is great for your health too!
- Breastfed babies are at lower risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
- It is best to give only breastmilk for the first six months. Continuing to breastfeed for 2 years and beyond (with foods added at six months) extends the many great benefits.
Safe Sleep
- Always place your baby on his or her back for all sleep times – naps and night, until their first birthday.
- Place your baby in a crib, bassinet, or portable crib with a firm mattress and tight fitting sheet.
- Do not use pillows, blankets, soft toys, or crib bumpers anywhere in your baby’s sleep area. Use a sleep sack instead of a blanket, if it is needed.
- On average, two babies die every week in Indiana related to unsafe sleep. You can protect your baby by following the ABCs of Safe Sleep and breastfeeding safely.
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To learn more about safe sleep for babies visit
https://indiana.wicresources.org/safe-sleep/.
Share the Room, Not the Bed
Breastfeeding helps you bond with your baby. Being near your baby can help you learn signs for when baby is hungry and helps support breastfeeding.
Room share – keep baby’s safe sleep space in your room for at least 6 months.
You can breastfeed your baby in your own bed. When finished feeding, put your baby back into his or her own separate sleep space within view and reach from where you sleep.
Learn more about safe sleep for babies.
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