Keeping your little one safe

Safe sleep, every night

• On the back, every sleep, until baby can roll both ways confidently on their own.
• Firm flat mattress, fitted sheet only. No pillows, duvets, bumpers or soft toys in the first year.
• Baby sleeps in your room, in their own space, for the first six months.
• Feet at the foot of the cot; a sleeping bag instead of loose blankets.
• Keep the room around 16–20°C and don't overheat or cover the head.
• Never sleep with baby on a sofa or armchair — that is the highest risk of all.
• Smoke-free everywhere, and never bedshare after alcohol, sedating medicine or if baby was small or early.
• Once they can roll, they may turn over in the night — still place them on their back, and clear the cot.

When your baby starts to move

• Get on your knees and look at every room from their height. You will see things you never noticed.
• Never leave them alone on a bed, sofa, changing table or high chair — even for a second, even before they have ever rolled.
• Move them to a cot with the base lowered once they can push up on their hands and knees.
• Do a floor sweep twice a day: coins, buttons, batteries, hair clips, bottle tops, pet food, bits of packaging.
• Anything that fits through a toilet roll tube is a choking hazard. That is the whole test.
• Button batteries and magnets are emergencies, not just hazards — get medical help immediately if one is swallowed.
• Anchor bookcases, drawers and the TV to the wall. Furniture tipping is a real and common injury.
• Tie up blind and curtain cords high, out of reach.
• Hot drinks well back from edges; a cup of tea can burn a baby fifteen minutes after it's poured.
• Cleaning products, medicines, vitamins and alcohol go high and locked, not under the sink.
• Learn infant choking first aid and CPR — a free class or a short video, before you need it.

Gates, locks and little fingers

Screens, cartoons and calm little minds

• Our phones can steal attention too — putting them down during feeds, play and cuddles gives baby our face, voice and calm presence, which is what they need most.
• Babies learn best from real faces, voices and touch — not from fast-moving screens.
• Cartoons with quick cuts, loud noises and flashing colours can overstimulate a young brain and make calming down harder.
• Under 18 months, try to keep screens off except video calls. Floor time, songs and chatting are the best entertainment.
• If you need the TV as a calming tool, choose something slow: gentle music, soft voices, long calm scenes and no rapid editing.
• Nature scenes, simple lullaby animations and slow shape-and-colour shows are easier on little minds than busy action cartoons.
• Watch together when you can, keep the volume low, and turn it off once the moment passes — background TV still distracts them.
• A calm show is a tool, not a babysitter. It works best when followed by cuddles, a walk or quiet play.

Never rush them — every baby is different

• Rolling, sitting, crawling, walking and talking all have a wide normal range — months wide, not weeks.
• Some babies never crawl at all. They shuffle, roll, or go straight to standing. That is fine.
• Comparing at baby group is the fastest way to steal your own joy. Their baby is not your baby.
• Babies born early are measured from their due date, not their birthday.
• Skills come in waves, and often one pauses while another races ahead. Sleep usually wobbles right before a big one.
• You cannot rush it, and practice beats pushing: floor time, tummy time, and being talked to all day.
• Do speak to your health visitor or doctor if you have a worry — not because you failed, but because early support is easy support.
• You are not behind. Neither are they.