How to sleep your baby in a safe environment - we have compiled some neccesary information for you right here

As your baby will spend the majority of their first year sleeping its easy to understand why the cot is the most important part of any nursery. Not only do you want to make it comfortable it needs to be safe.

Make sure your cot conforms to all the safety guidelines and standards of your country. Here is a brochure from the Austratian Competition and Consumer Commission that may help Cot Safety Alert .

You also want to make sure the cot sheets fit snug and tight and you don’t want any excess bedding in your baby’s sleeping area.

Don’t overheat your baby. 

Always use fresh clean sheets (unscented detergents are best for baby’s sensitive nose).

Keep the room dust-free and the space underneath the cot clutter free, so it won’t accumulate dust.

The bedding should be soft and restful, we suggest gentle colours to help them wind down for bed which don't over stimulate like bright colours and motifs.

Do not hang mobiles over baby's cot.

How to reduce the risk of SIDS

Sleep your baby on their back from birth and not on their tummy or their side.
Sleep your baby with their face uncovered.
Avoid exposing infants to cigarette smoke before birth and after (this includes fathers and friends).
Sleep your baby in their own safe sleeping environment next to the parents bed for the first six to twelve months of life.
Put your baby’s feet at the bottom of the cot.
Tuck in bedclothes so bedding is not loose.
Keep quilts, doonas, duvets, pillows and cot bumpers out of the cot.
Use a firm, clean mattress that fits snuggly in the cot.
Do not let your baby get too hot (or too cold) - room temperature 20 degrees Celsius is comfortable.
Keep heaters and any electrical appliances well away from cot to avoid overheating, burns and electrocution.
Keep cot away from hanging cords blinds, curtains, electrical cords and mobiles.
Ensure the cot meets Australian Standard and carries the label to say so.

Visit www.sidsandkids.org for further information on safe sleeping or view the SIDS and Kids safe sleeping brochure.