HealthInfo Waitaha Canterbury
Safe sleeping for babies
Kia whakamoe ora mō ngā pēpi
Every year, too many New Zealand pēpi (babies) die suddenly during sleep. Learn how to make every sleep a safe sleep for your baby and how to reduce the risk of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI).
Safe sleeping using P.E.P.E.
You can use this printable card to help you remember P.E.P.E.
Place
Place your pēpi
baby
in their own baby bed for every sleep, including when visiting friends and whānau (family). Have their bed in the same room as you for at least the first six months.
Your pēpi baby can sleep in a cot, bassinet, wahakura (woven flax bassinet) or Pēpi-Pod. Work and Income may be able to help you pay for a baby bed if you need it.
- Have a firm, flat mattress that fits the bed of your pēpi baby well and has no gaps between the frame and the mattress.
- Have nothing in the bed that might cover the face of your pēpi baby – no pillows, toys, loose blankets or bumper pads.
If you choose to sleep in bed with your pēpi baby , put them in their own baby bed beside you - for example, a Pēpi-pod or wahakura. This will help reduce the risk of your pēpi baby suffocating while they are asleep. To find out more about a Pēpi-pod or wahakura, ask your midwife.
It's never safe to put your pēpi baby to sleep in an adult bed, on a couch or on a chair.
The person looking after your pēpi baby needs to be sober and drug-free.
Eliminate
Eliminate smoking in pregnancy and protect your pēpi baby with a smokefree whānau family , whare (home) and waka (car).
For help to stop smoking, see How to become smokefree or the Te Hā – Waitaha page on becoming smokefree during pregnancy.
Position
Position your pēpi baby flat on their back to sleep with their face clear of bedding. When your pēpi baby sleeps on their back, they are better able to keep their airway clear and open.
Encourage
Encourage and support exclusive breastfeeding and handling your pēpi baby gently.
Your breast milk makes a big difference to the health of your pēpi baby . Breast milk helps protect your pēpi baby from some illnesses, as a pēpi baby and later in their life.
Ask your midwife if you would like some more support with your breastfeeding.
Safe sleeping when you take your baby out
Car seats or capsules protect your pēpi baby when travelling in the car. Do not use them as a cot or bassinet. Car seats and capsules are not safe for your pēpi baby to sleep in when you are at home or at your destination.
If you are out somewhere, make sure your pēpi baby has a safe place to sleep. Take your wahakura, Pēpi-pod, Portacot or bassinet with you, and use it on a flat surface.
Protecting your baby's head shape
When your pēpi baby is sleeping, turn their head so that sometimes they face left and sometimes they face right.
Tummy time, while your pēpi baby is awake, will help protect their head shape and make their arms strong.
Remember:
- back for sleep
- front for play
- upright for cuddles and hugs
For more information, see Flat head in babies (plagiocephaly).
HealthInfo recommends the following videos
- Northland District Health Board – Sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) prevention
These 30-second videos, made by Northland DHB with the regional Child Health Network and Whakawhetu, focus on how to protect our tamariki (children) so that every sleep is a safe sleep.
- TAHA Well Pacific Mother & Infant Service – TAHA Safe Sleep for Baby
Video aimed at expectant mothers and their whānau families , produced with local whānau families .
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- CanBreastFeed
Provides support for breastfeeding women. The website includes information about support groups and breastfeeding‑friendly public places such as cafés, libraries, swimming pools, shopping malls and more.
- Starship – Safe Sleep: Birth to 11 months
More safe sleeping tips to help reduce sudden unexplained deaths in infants.
Content shared between HealthInfo Canterbury, KidsHealth and Health Navigator NZ as part of a National Health Content Hub collaborative. Last reviewed November 2021.
If you or your family have experienced the sudden death of a pēpi baby , see the following page for information about organisations that can offer you support:
Review key: HIUCB-33560
