Here's how it can happen

🛏 1. Face Covered by Soft Bedding or Loose items

• Pillows, loose blankets, loose clothes, loose cloths or wraps, soft toys, or even a plush mattress can block a baby’s nose and mouth.
• Babies don’t always have the strength or motor skills to turn their head or move away from obstructions especially when in a deep sleep.

🔄 2. Creeping and wriggling into Unsafe Positions

• Babies who roll onto their stomachs (especially before they can roll back) are usually at higher risk, particularly if the surface is soft.
• They may end up face-down, jammed in a corner or across the cot restricting airflow.
• Babies can become trapped between a mattress and a wall, headboard, or cot bars.
• Gaps in sleep environments can pose strangulation or suffocation risks.

👶 3. Bed-Sharing (Co-Sleeping) Hazards

• Adults can accidentally roll onto baby or blankets may cover baby’s face.
• Adult beds are often too soft and have pillows or gaps baby can sink into.

😴 5. Overheating

• Too many blankets or warm sleepwear can lead to overheating, which is a known risk factor for SUDI (Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy).

🧠 6. Underdeveloped Reflexes

• Babies, especially under 6 months, may not respond or reposition themselves if their breathing is obstructed.

🔐 How to Help Prevent all of this

• Always place your ‘young’ baby on their back to sleep.
• Use a firm, flat mattress with a fitted sheet only.
• Avoid soft surfaces like couches, bean bags or adult beds.
• Keep the sleep space free of ‘LOOSE’ items (no toys, blankets, pillows, loose clothes, cloths or wraps).
• Ideally use breathable fabrics for bedding and babys sleepwear e.g cotton.
• Consider Trusted and Historically Proven tools like the Safe T Sleep Sleepwrap, which has a 33 year safety success record and helps reduce risks associated with potentially dangerous creeping or wriggling into unsafe positions, which babies are often unable to move out of. https://safetsleep.com/pages/nz-medical-journal-papers