To reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), It’s important that babies are consistently put on their backs to sleep for every day and night time sleep in a clear cot or sleeping space. Following a safer sleep routine can be difficult when a family’s living arrangements keep changing, so The Lullaby Trust have produced an emergency resource that adapts their life-saving safer sleep advice for refugees and anyone forced to flee their home.  

‘Fleeing from conflict or crisis means that sleeping conditions can be unpredictable and access to life-saving safer sleep advice can be difficult,’ says Jenny Ward, Chief Executive of The Lullaby Trust. ‘This new resource includes important advice for different sleeping situations, taking into account that some families may have to adapt to new surroundings or have less access to baby sleep products which are part of their infant’s everyday sleep routine. Safer sleep saves babies’ lives, and it’s vital that all families are made aware of how they can reduce the risk of SIDS, especially when they’re not in their usual home environment. ’ 

The Safer sleep advice for emergency situations resource presents different scenarios parents and caregivers may be in and helps them to identify ways they can sleep their baby in a way that reduces the risk of SIDS.  

The new resource is already available on the charity’s website in English, but £2,500 is needed to translate it into multiple languages for refugees, as well as print it and get it to those fleeing conflict or crisis with babies. 

The Lullaby Trust believes that every parent or caregiver deserves equal access to life-saving safer sleep . While those in crisis may not have the facilities to follow all safer sleep advice, they hope that this resource provides helpful guidelines to show families how to create as safe a sleeping space as possible for their baby.  

Jill Miller, Perinatal Lead at Happy Baby Community, an organisation that supports women who have fled from violence, crisis or traffickers, and are pregnant or with a young child and are seeking international protection in the UK, said: 

‘The work of The Lullaby Trust, to translate safer sleep information into so many languages, is massively important right now. In fact, I would say it is critical. Parents arrive with little to no English, and they live in environments where safe sleeping is often difficult- no cot for a baby or toddler and no space for a cot in their single-family room. At Happy Baby Community we are keenly anticipating this essential resource for the families we work with.’  

To help fund the translation and distribution of ‘Safer Sleep Advice for Emergency Situations’ to as many refugees as possible, The Lullaby Trust has set up a Facebook fundraiser.