There is nothing scarier than putting your newborn baby down in their crib to sleep for the first time, closing the door to their room and heading off to get some shut eye for yourself.

It’s terrifying - I’ve been there.

Franky is 10 months old and to this day, the fears continue. And heck, Ava’s almost 4 years old and I even check her monitor from time to time in the middle of the night. It’s normal to have these fears (at least I think it is) but the best thing we can do as parents to not only ease these fears but to keep our kiddos safe are to practice proper crib safety.

I see it ALL THE TIME on Instagram — beautiful photos of babies sleeping in their cribs snuggled in blankets or nestled up between cute little stuffed animals. And I’d like to think that these are just photo ops (photos that I, too, have taken of my own kids) but I also know that many babies sleep every single night with safety hazards left and right.

Whether you just don’t know what’s safe and what isn’t or you just feel that “it’ll never happen to you,” I urge you to read through this list of crib safety tips and make sure your babies are sleeping safe tonight. Because IT COULD happen to any one of us and IT DOES happen.

Crib Safety Tips

1. NO Blankets, lovies or stuffed animals

Lovies for comfort and blankets for warmth — I’m fairly positive this is the top thing that parents do incorrectly when it comes to safe baby sleep. I hear it all the time — “But my baby sleeps so much better with a blanket.” I get it - We get sleep deprived and we will do anything to get just a tiny ounce of shut eye. We’re exhausted and we can’t take it anymore and if a blanket helps, it feels so worth the potential risk.

The most common blanket risk is suffocation — when a baby rolls sideways or onto their tummy and can’t get out (or doesn’t even wake up to realize the blanket is covering their airway) or when the blanket gets wrapped around their little neck. A few years back, a sweet mama here in the small shop community lost her 7 month old baby boy because of a blanket in his crib and I urge you to read their story because like you, they never thought it would happen.

2. NO Plush Mattresses

Funny story…

When I was shopping for mattresses for Ava I had no idea what I was doing. I was in Buy Buy Baby and I felt all of the mattresses they had there in the store. Being a typical mom who wants what’s best for their baby, I chose the comfiest mattress I could find.

Fail. MAJOR FAIL.

I went to checkout and the sweet lady working there asked me if this was for a newborn (since I was very pregnant at the time) and when I said yes, she immediately took me back to pick out a proper mattress.

Baby Mattresses should be:

• firm

• should fit perfectly within the crib with no gaps (yes, cribs come in different sizes)

We use the breathable crib mattress from Newton Baby for Franky and we love it! It totally gives me a little more peace of mind at night, especially since Franky now sleeps on his tummy. And that leads me to my next point…

3. NO Tummy Sleeping

Always always always put your baby down on their back and yes, even if they sleep better on their tummy (which it seems that pretty much every baby does). A young baby (or even a baby who can already control their neck a bit) may not have the ability to while they’re sleeping.

It’s just not worth the risk!

And here’s the rule of thumb from our Pediatrician — If your baby rolls from back to tummy in their sleep, then they can then sleep the remainder of the night that way. Our pediatrician told us that even then, though, we should continue to put Franky down on his back every single night and if he happens to roll to his tummy, that’s okay!

4. NO Bumpers

“But what if my baby’s leg gets caught?” In my eyes, better a broken leg than something much worse. Don’t use bumpers because they’re a suffocation hazard - period, end of story.

5. NO Loose Crib Sheets

Make sure that crib sheet is flat and tight on the mattress. We use a breathable muslin crib sheet that’s super tight across the mattress (like it’s hard to even get on there) but feel free to not use a crib sheet at all! That Newton Baby breathable crib mattress I mentioned before is amazing because it’s pretty on its own and it’s washable in case of any spit up, leaks or accidents!

6. NO outlets or cords within reach

That cord to the baby monitor you have next to the crib? Of course your baby is going to reach for it and if they can reach, that’s quite the hazard if you think about it. Pull the crib away from the wall, put protectors in the outlets and make sure cords are stored and far way from the crib so there is no chance of your baby reaching it and getting tangled.

7. NO Dockatots or Snuggle Me Organics in the crib

As you all know, we are huge fans of Dockatot. And Snuggle Me Organic is very popular these days too (we’ve never personally tried that brand). But here’s the thing - Dockatot does not ever promote using their product inside of a crib. Scroll through their Instagram and website and you’ll see for yourself. Yes, I’ve put my face up to that thing, smashed my nose against the sides and to me, it feels 100% breathable. But still, that is not a risk I am willing to take when I am not there to watch over my babies.

We have been using Dockatots for years with the kids, but we don’t use them in the crib. We use them solely for travel (they become Ava‘s bed in hotel rooms either on the floor, in the bed with us or in a separate bed, helping prevent her from rolling off) or we use them for nap time out on the living room floor where I can carefully watch each of them. And I swear by them — they help the kiddos sleep like a charm! It wasn’t until Ava was over two years old that we started using a Dockatot in her toddler bed and she just recently stopped using hers in her new big girl bed!

8. NO raised mattresses

Just a little reminder to lower that mattress as soon as your baby can pull to stand. This prevents them from tipping over the edge or climbing out. I’ve even seen parents drop the mattress all the way to the floor once their toddlers get tall enough to climb out so if you’ve got a climber, that may be your best bet before switching to a big kid bed!

9. NO Swaddles for Tummy Sleeping

Once your baby can roll over onto their belly, stop swaddling immediately. If you’re worried about comfort or warmth, there are sleep sacks you can use instead!

Moral of the story: It’s better safe than sorry and it CAN happen to you.