What's Safe in a Crib? The AAP and CPSC Safe Sleep Rules, Item by Item (2026)

Most of what a baby needs to sleep safely is subtraction. Three US authorities publish safe sleep guidance for parents, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the National Institutes of Health's Safe to Sleep campaign, and they agree on a short list: a firm, flat surface, a fitted sheet, and your baby on their back. Everything else stays out.

How we built this guide:

• We read the AAP's safe sleep recommendations for parents (updated September 11, 2026), CPSC's Safe Sleep guidance on cribs and infant products, and the NIH Safe to Sleep campaign's ways to reduce baby's risk in September 2026.
• Every rule below is quoted or closely paraphrased from one of those pages, and linked to it.
• Where the sources don't address an item, we say so instead of guessing.

Key point: this is a summary of public guidance, not medical advice. If your baby has a medical condition, ask your pediatrician what applies to them.

What Can Go in a Crib, and What Can't?

Bottom line: if it isn't the mattress, the fitted sheet, your baby's clothing or wearable blanket, a swaddle for a baby who isn't rolling yet, or a pacifier, it doesn't go in the crib.

Where Should a Baby Sleep?

The AAP says to "place your baby in a crib, bassinet, portable crib or play yard that meets the safety standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission." CPSC adds bedside sleepers that meet federal requirements to that list of products intended for sleep.

The NIH describes the surface in four words: firm (it "returns to its original shape quickly if pressed on"), flat ("like a table, not a hammock"), level ("not at an angle or incline"), and covered only with a fitted sheet.

Products sold as sleep spaces are only a safe option, the AAP says, if they meet the June 2021 CPSC rule that all infant sleep products meet the federal standards for cribs, bassinets, portable cribs or play yards. The AAP names the products that rule covers:

• inclined sleep products and hammocks;
• baby boxes and in-bed sleepers;
• baby nests and pods;
• compact bassinets, travel bassinets and baby tents.

Pro tip: CPSC also says to check its site for recalls and sign up for recall notices. Our baby product recall checker lists every CPSC recall of cribs, bassinets and other baby gear since 2023, searchable by brand.

Why Back to Sleep, Every Time?

The AAP's first rule is to "place your baby on their back for all naps & at night." Babies who sleep on their backs, it says, are "much less likely to die suddenly and unexpectedly than babies who sleep on their stomachs or sides."

That applies to every sleep, including naps and sleep in a swaddle: the AAP says to make sure your baby "is always on their back when swaddled."

Room-Sharing or Bed-Sharing?

Room-share; don't bed-share. The AAP recommends sharing a room with your baby "for at least the first 6 months of life." The NIH puts the same advice this way: give your baby their own sleep space, a crib, bassinet or portable play yard, "in your room, separate from your bed."

On bed-sharing, the AAP is unambiguous: parents should "avoid bed sharing with their baby under any circumstances, including with twins and other multiples."

Key point: falling asleep with a baby on a couch or armchair is especially risky. The AAP says the risk of sleep-related infant death is "up to 67 times higher when infants sleep with someone on a couch, soft armchair or cushion."

Swaddles and Sleep Sacks

A wearable blanket, or sleep sack, is how you keep a baby warm without loose bedding, and it's the AAP's suggested alternative to a blanket.

Swaddling has more rules. The AAP says:

• your baby must always be on their back when swaddled;
• the swaddle "should not be too tight or make it hard for your baby to breathe or move their hips";
• you should stop swaddling "when your baby looks like they're trying to roll over," because suffocation risk rises if a swaddled baby rolls onto their stomach.

The NIH gives a typical age: avoid swaddling "once baby starts to roll over (usually around 3 months of age)." It also notes that swaddling "does not reduce SIDS risk."

Weighted swaddles and weighted sleepers are out entirely: both the AAP and CPSC say not to use them.

How Warm Should a Baby Be for Sleep?

Warm enough, not hot. The AAP says your baby "only needs one more layer than you would wear in the same environment to be comfortable," and that you shouldn't put a hat on your baby indoors once you're home from the hospital.

The NIH adds: keep your baby's head and face uncovered during sleep, and "take off baby's hat when inside," because hats indoors can make babies too hot.

Are Pacifiers Safe for Sleep?

Yes. The AAP says to try a pacifier at nap time and bedtime, because pacifiers "help reduce the risk of SIDS, even if the pacifier falls out after your baby is asleep."

If you breastfeed, the AAP says to wait until breastfeeding is established before offering one. The NIH phrases it as offering a pacifier "once they are feeding well."

What If My Baby Falls Asleep in the Car Seat or Swing?

Move them. The AAP says that if your baby falls asleep "in a car seat, stroller, swing, infant carrier or sling," you should move them to a firm sleep surface on their back as soon as possible. CPSC's version is the same: move your baby to their crib, bassinet, play yard or bedside sleeper.

CPSC explains why: "a seated or semi-reclined position can cause your baby's head to tip forward" and block the airway. It also says inclined products steeper than 10 degrees, "such as a rockers, gliders, soothers, and swings," should never be used for infant sleep.

Key point: the advice is to move a baby who has fallen asleep in one of these as soon as possible: take them out and lay them flat on their back in their crib, bassinet or play yard.

Do Monitors or Special Products Prevent SIDS?

No product can. The NIH says it plainly: "No product can prevent SIDS."

The AAP says not to use home cardiorespiratory monitors to reduce the risk of SIDS, because "there is no evidence that these devices, which don't have to meet the same requirements as medical devices, decrease SIDS risk." It also says to avoid products that aren't consistent with safe sleep recommendations if they claim to reduce the risk of SIDS or other sleep-related deaths.

A monitor can still be useful for hearing or seeing your baby from another room. It just isn't a safety device. If you're weighing a high-tech bassinet, our Snoo alternatives guide compares flat bassinets against the same AAP baseline.

What Else Lowers the Risk?

The AAP's recommendations go beyond the crib:

• Breast milk: "Evidence shows that human milk reduces the risk of SIDS. The longer you give your baby breast milk, the more protection it gives."
• No smoke: smoke during pregnancy and in your baby's environment after birth are "significant risk factors for SIDS." The AAP says not to smoke anywhere near your baby, including vaping and e-cigarettes.
• Tummy time while awake: supervised by an awake adult every day, building to "at least 15 to 30 minutes of tummy time every day by the time they're 7 weeks old."

Setting Up a Safe Sleep Space: A Checklist

Building a registry? Our budget baby registry checklist covers the sleep space, fitted sheets and sleep sacks, and lists the sleep products the AAP and CPSC say to skip.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should be in a baby's crib?

Nothing but a firm, flat mattress and a fitted sheet. CPSC's rule is "Bare is Best," and the AAP lists what to keep out: pillows and pillow-like toys, quilts, comforters, mattress toppers, non-fitted sheets, blankets, toys and bumper pads. Your baby can wear a wearable blanket for warmth.

Are crib bumpers safe?

No. The AAP lists bumper pads among the soft objects to keep out of a baby's sleep area. The NIH says research links crib bumpers and bedding other than a fitted sheet "to serious injuries and deaths from SIDS, suffocation, entrapment, and strangulation."

When should I stop swaddling my baby?

When your baby looks like they're trying to roll over, the AAP says. The NIH puts that "usually around 3 months of age." Until then, a swaddled baby should always sleep on their back, in a swaddle that isn't too tight and leaves room to move their hips.

Are weighted sleep sacks safe?

No. The AAP says: "Don't use weighted blankets, sleepers, swaddles or other weighted objects on or near your baby." CPSC gives the same advice: "Don't use weighted blankets or weighted swaddles." A regular, unweighted wearable blanket is the recommended way to keep a baby warm.

How long should my baby sleep in my room?

At least the first six months, according to the AAP and the NIH, in their own crib, bassinet or play yard next to your bed. The AAP says to avoid sharing a bed with your baby under any circumstances, and warns that sleeping with a baby on a couch or armchair is especially dangerous.

Can my baby sleep in a swing or car seat?

Not for regular sleep. If your baby falls asleep in a car seat, stroller, swing, carrier or sling, the AAP says to move them to a firm, flat sleep surface on their back as soon as possible. CPSC says inclined products over 10 degrees should never be used for infant sleep.

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NurseryProof is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This guide summarizes public safety guidance from the AAP, CPSC and NIH and is not medical advice; ask your pediatrician about your baby's sleep.