When Can a Baby Sleep With a Blanket, Pillow, Stuffed Animal, or Crib Bumper?
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During your baby's first year, keep loose blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, loveys, crib bumpers and other soft objects out of the sleep space.
For an infant, the recommended sleep setup is intentionally simple: a firm, flat, noninclined sleep surface covered by a fitted sheet, with no loose bedding or soft objects around the baby.
After 12 months, the risk from many soft comfort objects is substantially lower in a healthy child. Current pediatric guidance does not identify an exact age when every soft item becomes completely risk-free, so there is no reason to rush.
Crib bumpers are different: they are not recommended and should not be added to the crib as a child gets older.
- Keep loose blankets out of an infant's sleep area during the first year.
- Keep pillows and pillow-like products out during infancy.
- Keep stuffed animals, plush toys and loveys out during infancy.
- Do not use crib bumpers.
- Use appropriate sleep clothing or a nonweighted wearable blanket instead of loose bedding.
- Keep the mattress firm, flat and covered only by a fitted sheet.
- After age 1, a small lightweight blanket or small comfort object generally poses much less risk to a healthy child.
- A pillow is not necessary at 12 months and can wait until your child is older.
Why Does a Baby's Crib Need to Look So Empty?
Parents naturally want their baby's sleep space to look warm and comfortable.
A blanket feels cozy. A pillow looks comfortable. A favorite stuffed animal feels reassuring. Crib bumpers may even look as though they protect a baby from the sides of the crib.
But an infant sleep space is different from an adult bed.
Loose bedding and soft objects can cover a baby's face, obstruct breathing or contribute to suffocation, entrapment, wedging or strangulation.
That is why current safe-sleep recommendations favor a very simple environment.
During infancy, an empty-looking crib is exactly what we want.
What Should Be in My Baby's Crib or Bassinet?
Very little.
- A safety-approved crib, bassinet, portable crib or play yard
- A firm, flat, noninclined mattress designed for that product
- A properly fitted sheet
- Your baby placed on the back to begin every sleep
No loose blanket. No pillow. No stuffed animal. No bumper.
When Can a Baby Sleep With a Blanket?
During the first year, keep loose blankets out of the infant sleep area.
A blanket can move over a baby's face or contribute to airway obstruction, entrapment or overheating.
If additional warmth is needed, use appropriately sized sleep clothing or a properly fitted nonweighted wearable blanket or sleep sack.
After the first birthday, a small lightweight blanket generally poses substantially less risk for a healthy child.
That does not mean you need to introduce one immediately. If your child sleeps comfortably without a loose blanket, there is no need to change the sleep environment simply because the child has turned 1.
When Can a Baby Sleep With a Pillow?
Pillows should stay out of an infant's sleep space.
Babies do not need pillows for comfort or healthy development. During infancy, the recommended sleep surface is flat and firm without anything under the baby's head.
After age 1, the risk from soft objects is lower, but that does not mean a child suddenly needs a pillow on the first birthday.
There is no benefit to rushing.
A simple approach is to wait until your child is older and moving toward a toddler-bed sleep environment before considering a small pillow.
A first birthday is not a shopping list.
Your child does not suddenly need a blanket, pillow and stuffed animal because the calendar says 12 months.
After infancy, you can introduce appropriate comfort items gradually. If your child is sleeping well without them, there is no reason to rush.
When Can a Baby Sleep With a Stuffed Animal or Lovey?
Stuffed animals, plush toys, soft loveys and similar comfort objects should stay out of the infant sleep area during the first year.
Even something that looks small can move against an infant's nose or mouth.
After 12 months, a small soft comfort object generally poses much less risk for a healthy child.
Keep the transition reasonable. One small comfort object is very different from filling the crib with several large stuffed animals and piles of soft bedding.
What About Crib Bumpers?
Do not use crib bumpers.
Bumpers were once marketed as a way to keep babies from hitting the crib slats or getting an arm or leg between them.
Modern crib safety standards make traditional padded bumpers unnecessary, while bumpers themselves have been associated with suffocation, entrapment, wedging and strangulation.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against crib bumper pads and similar padded products.
Do not think of bumpers as something that becomes appropriate once your baby turns 1.
Under the U.S. Safe Sleep for Babies Act, products meeting the federal definition of crib bumpers are banned hazardous products.
There is no reason to add a crib bumper to your child's crib.
What About Mesh Crib Liners?
Parents may see mesh liners marketed differently from padded crib bumpers.
Federal product definitions distinguish some non-padded mesh liners from banned crib bumpers.
That does not mean your infant needs a mesh liner.
The simplest safe-sleep approach is still the best one: use a modern safety-approved crib as designed, without adding unnecessary products around your baby.
What Can I Use Instead of a Blanket?
- Use appropriately sized infant sleepwear.
- Add light clothing layers when needed.
- Use a properly fitted nonweighted wearable blanket or sleep sack.
- Avoid overdressing or overheating.
- Keep your baby's head uncovered indoors during sleep.
Weighted blankets, weighted swaddles and weighted infant sleepwear should not be used for infant sleep.
Does Rolling Over Make Blankets or Toys Safe?
No.
Parents sometimes assume that once a baby can roll, the baby can move away from a pillow, blanket or stuffed animal if necessary.
That is not a reason to add soft objects to the sleep space.
AAP safe-sleep recommendations continue throughout infancy.
If your baby can roll both ways independently, the baby may generally remain in the sleep position reached independently—but the surrounding sleep space should remain clear.
Do These Rules Apply to Naps?
Yes.
Safe-sleep recommendations apply every time an infant sleeps.
A short daytime nap does not make loose bedding, pillows or stuffed toys safer.
Use the same safe environment for naps that you use at night.
What Changes After the First Birthday?
As children grow, their motor abilities and sleep-related risk change substantially.
The first birthday is a useful transition point because the AAP's infant safe-sleep recommendations address the first year of life.
However, research has not identified a precise moment when every soft object becomes completely risk-free.
For a healthy child older than 12 months, a small lightweight blanket or small comfort object generally poses much less risk than it does during infancy.
A pillow can wait. Crib bumpers should not be introduced.
| Sleep Item | During the First Year | After 12 Months |
|---|---|---|
| Loose blanket | Keep out of the infant sleep area. | A small lightweight blanket generally poses substantially less risk for a healthy child. |
| Pillow | Keep out. | Still unnecessary. There is no reason to introduce one simply because the child turns 1. |
| Stuffed animal or lovey | Keep out. | A small comfort object generally poses much less risk for a healthy child. |
| Crib bumper | Do not use. | Do not introduce later; federally defined crib bumpers are banned hazardous products in the United States. |
When Should I Call My Pediatrician?
Talk with your pediatrician if:
- Your baby has a condition affecting breathing, muscle tone or mobility.
- Your baby was born prematurely and you have questions about safe sleep at home.
- You are unsure whether a particular sleep product is appropriate.
- Your baby seems persistently cold despite appropriate sleep clothing.
- Your baby regularly appears overheated or sweats heavily during sleep.
- You have received advice that conflicts with current infant safe-sleep recommendations.
When Is It an Emergency?
Seek emergency medical attention if your baby has severe difficulty breathing, turns blue or gray, becomes limp or unresponsive, has a prolonged pause in breathing or cannot be awakened normally.
If your baby is unresponsive or not breathing normally, call emergency services immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my 6-month-old sleep with a blanket?
No. Loose blankets should stay out of the infant sleep area. Use appropriate sleep clothing or a properly fitted nonweighted wearable blanket instead.
Can my 9-month-old sleep with a stuffed animal?
Keep stuffed animals, loveys and other soft objects out of the sleep area throughout the first year, even when your baby can roll independently.
Can my 1-year-old sleep with a blanket?
After the first birthday, a small lightweight blanket generally poses much less risk for a healthy child. You do not need to introduce one if your child sleeps comfortably without it.
Can my 1-year-old sleep with a stuffed animal?
After 12 months, a small soft comfort object generally poses substantially less risk for a healthy child. Keep the sleep space simple rather than filling it with several large soft objects.
Does my 1-year-old need a pillow?
No. There is no developmental requirement to introduce a pillow at 12 months. It is reasonable to wait until your child is older.
Are crib bumpers safe once my baby turns 1?
Crib bumpers should not be introduced later. The AAP recommends against crib bumpers, and federally defined crib bumpers are banned hazardous products in the United States.
Can I tightly tuck a blanket around my infant?
Current AAP safe-sleep guidance recommends keeping loose bedding away from the infant sleep area. Appropriate sleep clothing or a nonweighted wearable blanket is the safer option.
Can I use these items during a supervised nap?
Safe-sleep recommendations apply during every infant sleep, including naps. Supervision does not replace a safe sleep environment.
Dr. G's Pearl
The safest infant crib often looks surprisingly empty to an adult.
We associate blankets, pillows and stuffed animals with comfort because that's what we use ourselves. Babies don't need those things during infancy.
For the first year, remember the simplest version: baby, firm flat mattress, fitted sheet—and keep everything else out.
After the first birthday, comfort items can be introduced thoughtfully. There is no need to add everything at once.
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References
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2022 Recommendations for Reducing Infant Deaths in the Sleep Environment. Pediatrics. 2022;150(1):e2022057990.
- Moon RY, Carlin RF, Hand I; AAP Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and AAP Committee on Fetus and Newborn. Evidence Base for 2022 Updated Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment to Reduce the Risk of Sleep-Related Infant Deaths. Pediatrics. 2022;150(1):e2022057991.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Safe Sleep.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Safe Sleep and Your Baby: How Parents Can Reduce the Risk of SIDS and Suffocation.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Crib Bumper FAQs.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Safe Sleep for Babies Act Business Guidance.
Related Parent Resources
Explore more pediatric guidance about infant sleep, crib safety, safe sleep and nighttime concerns in the Pediatric Parent Guide Sleep Library .