Congratulations! You are now a parent and you have a beautiful child that is all yours. What an honor and a privilege!

Bringing your baby home for the first time can be so exciting and so scary at the same time. There are a lot of unknowns, but you will figure them out as you go and learn what works for your new family. Have grace and patience with yourself! Find a trusted friend or outside family member who has been there and can offer guidance and advice when YOU need it.

As parents, your main goal is to keep your baby safe at all times, while they eat, sleep, and eventually play!

One way to keep your baby safe is while they sleep, and in the first months of life, they sleep a lot! Use the Safe Sleep ABCs to remind you:

A- Alone: babies should always sleep alone. This means without blankets, toys, bumper pads, pillows, and especially other people. There is too much risk in sleeping with your newborn. If the idea of being far away from your baby makes you anxious in the beginning, bring their bassinet or pack-n-play into your bedroom.

B- Back: when placing a baby down to sleep, always put them on their backs. As they grow and begin to roll over and have better head control, you may note that they will roll and sleep on their bellies all on their own. That is fine, but we always want to place them on their backs.

C- Crib: babies should sleep on flat, horizontal surfaces. Cribs with tight-fitted sheets are the best option. You can also use bassinets and pack-n-plays when they are very young. Babies often fall asleep in their car seats (who doesn’t love sleeping in the car??) but as soon as you arrive at your destination, please remove them from their car seats and place them on a flat surface to finish their nap.

Sleep safety is paramount and critical to keeping your baby safe while they spend many hours sleeping. By practicing the Safe Sleep ABCs, you can ensure safe and quality sleep for your little one so that they can grow and thrive!