Safe Sleeping Environments

 For more information on protected sleep spaces, please visit our wahakura page.

Can I sleep with my baby?

Bedsharing is a time honored tradition shared by many cultures. Many whanau enjoy the benefits of safe bedsharing such as closeness with their baby. However, bedsharing is hazardous to babies when:

• A parent who smokes bed shares with their infant
• A parent is under the influence of alcohol or drugs that cause sedation
• A parent is excessively tired
• Other children share the bed with an infant
• The infant gets caught under bedding e.g. pillows and duvets
• The bed is a water bed or if the mattress is too soft
• A parent falls asleep with an infant on a sofa
• An infant gets caught between the bed and the wall or falls off the bed
• The infant is rolled on

Babies at risk should be put to sleep in their own cot, bassinette or wahakura. Pillows and duvets should not be used in an infant’s sleeping environment. The mattress should also be firm.

How do I set up a safe sleeping environment?

All new and second-hand cots must meet these safety requirements:

• The cot must be more than 500mm deep. Measure from the top of the mattress to the top of the cot side.
• The mattress must fit the cot firmly. Any gaps at the ends and sides should be less than 20mm.
• Spaces between the bars of the cot must be between 50mm and 85mm.
• The four corner posts must not stick up more than 5mm.
• The dropside catches must lock securely.
• Screws and nails must not stick out.
• Cot ends must not have fancy cut outs.
• There must not be any bars, ledges or other footholds that an infant can use to climb out of the cot.
• The base of the cot must be firm, with no parts to collapse or bend when pushed down.

Is there a traditional sleeping method?

The wahakura is a flax woven bassinette for babies from birth to 6 months. The wahakura provides a protected sleep space for baby when sharing a bed.

The wahakura is an indigenous, homegrown response to the risks associated with co-sleeping and maternal smoking. Māori infants are at a higher risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) than other ethnic groups.

More information can be found on our wahakura page.