Don't let your baby sleep with any soft objects, including stuffed animals, until they're at least 12 months old.
Soft toys, blankets, crib bumpers, pillows, and other bedding increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and death by suffocation or strangulation.
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It's important to keep your baby's crib free of clutter, including stuffed toys and other comfort objects. Put them in their crib, bassinet, or play yard with no loose bedding – just a tight-fitting sheet. (It's okay to put a thin, tight-fitting mattress pad under the sheet to protect against diaper leaks, too.)
Here are other ways you can keep your baby safe while they're asleep:
- Always put your baby on their back to sleep
- Choose a safe crib, bassinet, or play yard. See our articles on the best bassinets, cribs, and play yards for tips on buying safe products.
- Use a firm, flat mattress
- Don't use crib bumpers
- Don't let your baby sleep in a car seat, stroller, swing, or bouncer. If your baby falls asleep in one of these products, transfer them to a crib, bassinet, or play yard as soon as possible.
- Don't co-sleep, but do share a room with your baby for the first 6 to 12 months
- If your baby needs another layer for warmth, use a swaddle or sleep sack
- Keep the temperature cool in your baby's room and don't overdress them
- Give your baby a pacifier while they sleep, but don't attach it to their clothing
When your baby can sleep with a stuffed animal
After 12 months, it's okay for your baby to bring a special toy or blanket to bed for comfort. It's still safest to keep their crib relatively empty – so don't give your child a pillow until they've transitioned from the crib to a bed.
Why can babies sleep with a stuffy after their first birthday? By that point, your baby's risk of SIDS has dropped significantly. The likelihood of suffocation also diminishes because most 12-month-olds can roll over, sit up, and move objects away from their face.
Many babies become attached to a particular object like a blanket or stuffed animal between 8 and 12 months old. Loveys or comfort objects are more than a sweet toy for your baby – they might actually be helpful as your baby experiences separation anxiety and gets used to new situations.
Other ways to comfort your baby
There are plenty of ways to comfort your baby before they're safely able to take a lovey to bed. One of the best ways to provide security to your little one is to create a predictable bedtime routine.
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At bedtime, going through the same motions day after day clues your baby into what they can expect. Each family's routine can be unique, but some common rituals include bath time, story time, a lullaby, and cuddling.
If your baby is insistent on taking their lovey to bed with them and gets upset when you take it away at bedtime, try including the lovey in your bedtime routine. Let your baby cuddle the lovey during story time, and then give the lovey a goodnight kiss before settling it into a chair or bed of its own for the night.
After establishing a bedtime routine, you can also help your baby learn to self-soothe. This is a skill that takes time, but making a habit of putting them to bed drowsy but awake is a good first step. If your little one wakes at night, give them a chance to settle down and hopefully fall back to sleep on their own before going to comfort them.
Pacifiers are a safe option for comforting your baby. If you're breastfeeding, some experts say to wait until breastfeeding is established (by about 3 weeks) to offer your baby a pacifier at naptime and bedtime.
Letting your baby sleep with a pacifier can actually reduce the risk of SIDS. But don't attach a pacifier to your baby's clothing or hang it around their neck, because the ribbon or string it's tied to is a hazard. Don't give your baby pacifiers that have attachments, like stuffed animals, either.
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Younger babies may find it comforting to be snuggly swaddled when it's time to sleep. While a loose blanket isn't safe in a baby's crib, using a swaddle blanket is a good alternative.
Before your baby is showing signs of rolling over, it's time to discontinue swaddling. This usually happens around 3 or 4 months, but can be as early as 2 months. Moving babies could break out of a swaddle and become tangled in their blankets, increasing their risk of suffocation.
You can use a sleep sack (that leaves your baby's arms out) once your baby is too old to swaddle There are some brands of swaddle blankets that convert to sleep sacks for older babies.
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