A key message to keep your baby safe and healthy is that the safest place for your baby to sleep - night and day - is in a crib or cot in a room with you for the first six months.

It's especially dangerous for your baby to sleep in your bed

• if you (or your partner):
  • are a smoker (even if you never smoke in bed or at home)
  • have been drinking alcohol
  • take medication or drugs that make you drowsy
  • feel very tired
• or if your baby
  • was premature (born before 37 weeks)
  • was low birth weight (less than 2.5kg or 5 1/2 lb)
  • is less than three months old.

Don't forget, accidents can happen too:

• you might roll over in your sleep and suffocate your baby
• your baby could get caught between the wall and the bed
• your baby could roll out of your bed and be injured

It's very dangerous to sleep together with a baby on a sofa, armchair or settee and it is also risky to sleep a baby alone in an adult bed.

If you have any questions about this advice, or are worried about how to make it work for you, call our Helpline on 020 7233 2090 or email helpline@fsid.org.uk