As a state agency, Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) provides leadership around infant health and safety. MDH supports best practices from organizations such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for safety information, and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for expert opinion on infant health and safety, including how to keep infants safe while they sleep.

On June 21, the AAP published updated recommendations for reducing infant deaths by providing recommendations on how to keep babies under one year of age safe while they sleep or nap to prevent sleep related tragedies such as accidental suffocation and strangulation. Recommendations include putting babies to sleep on a firm, flat, noninclined or leveled surface without soft bedding, room sharing without bed sharing, and how to prevent babies from overheating. These recommendations should be followed by anyone who takes care of babies, including parents, babysitters, childcare providers, health care providers, grandparents, and others. In addition to recommendations that focus on changing caregiver behaviors, there are also guidelines on changing institution and systems practices. For example, there is a specific recommendation for health care providers, physicians, hospital staff, and childcare providers to endorse and model infant safe sleep guidelines from the beginning of pregnancy, and another that advises media and manufacturers to promote safe sleep practices as a social norm in their messaging and advertising by following the AAP guidelines.

To view the full list of recommendations and how they apply to families visit AAP Safe Sleep Guidelines. To find out if an infant product has been recalled by the CPSC visit Recalls | CPSC.gov.