Minnesota's Safe and Asleep Campaign

Infant Sleep Safety graphic

Annually, 40 or more otherwise healthy Minnesota babies die of sleep-related unintentional injuries while sleeping in unsafe conditions such as in an adult bed or on a sofa with parents or older children. Babies become tangled in bedding, get stuck under pillows, or trapped between a sleeping adult and cushions of a sofa or recliner. Sometimes their own sleeping parents roll over on them unintentionally, causing death from suffocation and chest compression.

Baby Bear in Crib Art

Minnesota’s Safe and Asleep in a Crib of Their Own Campaign was launched in July 2007, and continues as a partnership between the Maternal and Child Health Section of the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Sudden Infant Death Center of Children’s Hospitals and Clinics. Additional partners include the Department of Human Services Child Mortality Review Panel, the Minnesota Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners, Twin Cities Healthy Start, the Cradle of Hope Program, the Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and local public health departments.

View document Safe and Asleep Campaign Press Release, July, 2007 (PDF: 53KB/2 pages)

View document MN Coroners and Medical Examiners' letter to providers, July, 2007 (PDF: 84KB/1 page)

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all infants sleep on their backs in their own safety-approved crib and in a smoke-free environment to reduce the risk both of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and these tragic preventable injury deaths.

Educational Materials

Download or order educational materials from the MDH Maternal and Child Health Section to promote safe infant sleep messages for parents and other caregivers. Other recommend materials can be found at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/ including magnets and the general outreach door hanger, which MDH no longer has available.

Additional Educational Materials

The educational materials below are also recommended and available in the public domain and can be downloaded. If you prefer to order hard copies, they are available at no cost in limited quantities from the National Institute for Child Health and Development (NICHD) at: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/.

Back to Sleep for Your Baby - American Indian American Indian specific brochure (PDF: 4.4MB/2 pages)
Helping Baby - Back to Sleep Helping Baby Back to Sleep (PDF: 8.5MB/4 pages)
Infant Sleep Position and SIDS Infant Sleep Position and Questions and Answers for Health Care Providers (PDF: 13MB/20 page)
Back to Sleep Door Hanger - General Back to Sleep Door Hanger - General Outreach
Ponga a su bebe a dormir sin peligros (Back to Sleep Door Hanger - Spanish Version) Ponga a su bebe a dormir sin peligros (Back to Sleep Door Hanger - Spanish Version) (PDF: 73KB/2 pages)
Back to Sleep Door Hanger - African American Outreach Back to Sleep Door Hanger - African American Outreach
Back to Sleep Magnet Back to Sleep Magnet
Safe Sleep for Your Baby Safe Sleep for Your Baby (PDF: 515KB/2 pages)
Safe Sleep for Your Baby - African American Safe Sleep for Your Baby - African American (PDF: 2.3MB/2 pages)
Ponga a su bebe a dormir sin peligros (Safe Sleep for Your Baby - Spanish Version) Ponga a su bebe a dormir sin peligros (Safe Sleep for Your Baby - Spanish Version) (PDF: 463KB/2 pages)
Safe Sleep for Your Baby: What does a safe sleep environment look like? - English Version. Safe Sleep for Your Baby: What does a safe sleep environment look like? - English (PDF: 135KB/2 pages)
Cual es la apariencia de un ambiente seguro para dormir? (Safe Sleep for Your Baby: What does a safe sleep environment look like? - Spanish Version) Cual es la apariencia de un ambiente seguro para dormir? (Safe Sleep for Your Baby: What does a safe sleep environment look like? - Spanish Version) (PDF: 219KB/2 pages)
Ponga a su nieto o nieta: A dormir sin peligro (Safe Sleep for My Grandbaby - Spanish Version) Ponga a su nieto o nieta: A dormir sin peligro (Safe Sleep for My Grandbaby - Spanish Version) (PDF: 438KB/2 pages)

Safe baby beds available for Minnesota’s low income families