Back to Sleep Public Education Campaign

The Back to Sleep campaign began in 1994 as a way to educate parents, caregivers, and health care providers about ways to reduce the risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The campaign was named for its recommendation to place healthy babies on their backs to sleep. Placing babies on their backs to sleep reduces the risk for SIDS, also known as "crib death." This campaign has been successful in promoting infant back sleeping and other risk-reduction strategies to parents, family members, child care providers, health professionals, and all other caregivers of infants.

This campaign is sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), First Candle/SIDS Alliance, and the Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs.

Since the campaign started, the percentage of infants placed on their backs to sleep has increased dramatically, and the overall SIDS rates have declined by more than 50 percent (PDF - 49 KB).

The safe sleep strategies outlined in Back to Sleep materials and publications are based on research findings defined by the AAP Task Force on SIDS. The Task Force released expanded guidelines in October 2011. Please visit Safe Sleep for All Babies to learn more about these recommendations.

Based on the AAP Task Force recommendations, parents and caregivers can make changes to their babies’ sleep environment to make it safer and to reduce the risk for SIDS. The photo on the right shows a safe infant sleep environment. See the What does a safe sleep environment look like? publication for more information.

 New for Pharmacists! The NICHD now offers the SIDS Risk Reduction: Continuing Education (CE) Activity for Pharmacists for CE credit hours or CE units.

The CE Program on SIDS Risk Reduction: Curriculum for Nurses is also available, as well as dissemination materials for nursing CE partners.

For More Information

• All Back to Sleep Materials and Publications
  • Safe Sleep for Your Baby: General Outreach Brochure
  • Safe Sleep for Your Baby: African American Outreach Brochure
  • Safe Sleep for Your Baby: American Indian/Alaska Native Outreach Brochure
  • Safe Sleep for Your Baby: Spanish Outreach Brochure
  • Materials for Health Care Providers and Educators
• Online Continuing Education Modules:
  • CE Program on SIDS Risk Reduction: Curriculum for Nurses (dissemination materials for nursing CE partners)
  •  SIDS Risk Reduction: CE Activity for Pharmacists
• NICHD Health & Human Development Topic: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
• NICHD Health & Human Development Topic: Tummy Time
• NICHD News Releases on SIDS and Infant Mortality
• African American Faith-Based Bereavement Initiative (AAFBBI): Development of this online module, available through the National Center for Cultural Competency at Georgetown University, was co-funded by the NICHD.

If you have questions about the Back to Sleep campaign or its materials, please contact the NICHD Information Resource Center at NICHDInformationResourceCenter@mail.nih.gov. To order materials by phone, please call 1-800-505-CRIB (2742). (TTY: 1-888-320-6942)