SIDS and Kids South Australia

09/09/2026

Huge thanks to all of the amazing childcare centre Directors who have worked with us to support their educators by providing professional development on best practice approaches to safe sleep.

If you are a centre interested in becoming part of the SIDS and Kids SA community of Safe Sleep Aware centres please contact our Education Manager on [email protected] for further information about our safe sleep training options.

08/09/2026

This is shocking footage of a sleep environment giving way with a baby in it. Thankfully the baby was OK but it is a great reminder to regularly check the cot/bassinette to see if anything needs tightening.

05/09/2026

01/09/2026

26/08/2026

Running on Empty? New Parent Sleep Struggles Are Real!

Adjusting to life with a newborn often means functioning on way less sleep than you’re used to. If your baby wakes frequently (or just doesn’t seem like a “good sleeper”), you’re not alone! Here’s why your little one might be waking so much and why it’s totally normal.

🔹 Life Outside the Womb is a Big Adjustment
Some babies need extra comfort and reassurance depending on their temperament.

🔹 Waking for Food and Comfort is Necessary
Newborns need to wake and feed around the clock, it’s how they grow and thrive!

🔹 Day vs. Night? Babies Have No Clue (Yet!)
Their body clocks (circadian rhythm) take months to develop, and they have low levels of melatonin at birth.

🔹 Baby Sleep Cycles Are Short
A baby’s sleep cycle is just 35 minutes (compared to 90–120 minutes for adults), meaning frequent wake-ups are part of the process.

🔹 You’re Not Alone
About 40% of infants experience sleep challenges, and peak unsettledness happens between 6–12 weeks.

💙 Hang in there! It won’t last forever, and your baby will learn to sleep longer stretches in time. Until then, be kind to yourself, rest when you can, and know that you're doing an amazing job.

22/08/2026

Wrapping/swaddling is a common infant care practice used to help babies settle. If you choose to use wrapping/swaddling keep the following things in mind.

The wrap/swaddle must be made of a light weight breathable material such as cotton or muslin. Lightweight and breathable will reduce the risk of overheating.

There needs to be room at the bottom of the wrap/swaddle to allow baby’s legs to move freely into the ‘frog leg’ position, to allow the hip to develop normally.

The wrap/swaddle shouldn’t be too tight across the chest, to allow for chest wall expansion, but should also not be too loose as this is a hazard.

The wrap/swaddle should not sit higher than baby’s shoulders. This will reduce the risk of the material accidentally covering the baby’s head/face.

Baby should not be over dressed under the wrap. This will reduce the risk of overheating.

It is important for safety reasons that once baby looks like they are trying to roll, they must have their arms out/free (that is, not wrapped with arms in).

19/08/2026

SAFE SLEEP TRAINED CHILDCARE CENTRES

Look for this sticker as an easy way to identify Safe Sleep Aware childcare centres.

We encourage all parents when looking for childcare for their infant to ask the question “Have staff had recent safe sleep training?

15/08/2026

Click on the link below to find out more about why the risk of choking is reduced when baby sleeps on their back.
https://rednose.org.au/safe-sleep-and-safer-pregnancy/newborn-to-1-year/why-should-you-sleep-your-baby-on-their-back/

12/08/2026

Is your baby hard to settle for sleep? It may be because you are missing early tired signs.

It is really important for new parents to learn baby’s early tired signs and settle baby to sleep as soon as baby is showing these signs. Early tired signs are a parents window of opportunity to settle baby more easily to sleep. If you wait until baby shows late tired signs like squirming, crying and yawning you may have missed the window of opportunity and it will be much more difficult to settle your baby to sleep.

Tired signs change with age but early tired signs for a 0 – 4 month old may include glazed eyes, long blank stares, redness around eyes/eyebrows, jerky movements, clenched fists or extended arm/legs.

For more information about tired signs visit the link below:
https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/sleep/understanding-sleep/tired-signs?fbclid=IwY2xjawTc9QRwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMVVvcEs2Nk9KR3p6MnVxeGpzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeG9pH4K0tRC_B6TvzyU7uKKxoA8DQb_NQZl-fb70Eayte00LQ5a95w1I09-g_aem_9FfvSAt_gE1Yz7hrsCJxoA