Bringing a newborn into the world is a beautiful and transformative experience, but it also comes with significant challenges, particularly in the realm of sleep. New parents often find themselves waking every few hours to feed, soothe, and care for their baby, leading to chronic sleep deprivation. While exhaustion is a common part of early parenthood, research increasingly shows that insufficient sleep can contribute to postpartum depression (PPD), a serious mental health condition affecting many new parents.

Ensuring a safe sleep environment for newborns is one of the most important steps parents can take to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related incidents. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide evidence-based guidelines to help parents create a safe sleep environment for their babies. Understanding and following these recommendations can help ensure that your newborn sleeps safely and soundly.

A newborn’s transition from the womb to the outside world is one of the most significant changes they will ever experience. In just moments, they must breathe independently, circulate blood differently, regulate their temperature, and begin to eat and digest food. Additionally, they are confronted with many new things they have never experienced before: new smells, tastes, textures, clothes, sounds, bright lights and many other things. Understanding these changes can help parents support their baby’s adjustment in those first days and weeks.