The colder months can be difficult for families, especially with the added worry of heating bills during the current cost of living crisis. If you have young children and babies, you may be concerned about trying to keep your home warm, and the recommended room temperature of 16-20 degrees might be hard to achieve. Your first thought might be to bed share or wrap your baby up, but this can increase the chances of SIDS, also known as cot death. The safest place for a baby to sleep is in their own cot or Moses basket.

Follow the tips below to ensure your baby sleeps safely this winter.

• Place your baby in their own clear, flat, separate sleep space, e.g. a cot or Moses basket.

• Firmly tuck in sheets and blankets (no higher than the shoulders).

• Choose the correct tog of sleeping bag for the different seasons.

• Remove hats from babies' heads when inside.

• Don't use hot water bottles in any baby sleep space.

• Don't place extra blankets on top of babies in a sleeping bag.

• Don't place your baby's cot next to a heat source e.g. radiator or heater.

• Don't place your baby under adult bedding.

• Don't put your baby in outdoor clothes to sleep indoors.

For further advice contact your midwife or health visitor, or read NHS advice here: Reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) - NHS (www.nhs.uk), or visit The Lullaby Trust: The Lullaby Trust - Safer sleep for babies, Support for families

It is important for you to know that there are some circumstances in which bedsharing with your baby can be very dangerous. You should never bedshare with your baby if any of the following apply:

• Either you or your partner smokes (even if you do not smoke in the bedroom)

• Either you or your partner has drunk alcohol or taken drugs (including medications that may make you drowsy)

• Your baby was born premature (before 37 weeks)

• Your baby was born at a low weight (2.5kg or 5½ lbs or less)

It’s best to have another adult on hand to help with baby if you are not well, have drunk alcohol or taken drugs that make you less aware than normal.

Things to Avoid

1. Never sleep on a sofa or armchair with your baby. This can increase the risk of SIDS by 50 times

2. Don’t use hot water bottles in any baby sleep space (cot, crib, Moses basket or adult bed) as they can make your baby too hot

3. We would not advise using products like swings and baby bouncers as sleep spaces as they are not firm and flat

4. Babies shouldn’t lie on or have anything soft around them, particularly their heads, as this can cause them to overheat and increases the risk of SIDS. Soft, squishy materials can get pressed against a baby’s mouth and nose and interfere with breathing

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