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You should never leave your baby unattended — even for a short time. If you need to leave the room, ensure complete safety: place your baby in a crib without pillows or toys, use a baby monitor, and stay within hearing range. During the first year, it’s especially important to maintain visual supervision — including during sleep. Ideally, your baby should sleep in your room, in their own crib. You can begin encouraging independence gradually with short play sessions in a playpen near you.

What’s Inside

Babies need attention during both wake and sleep times

Here’s why:

• Emotional dependence. Newborns cannot self-soothe — they need touch, eye contact, and voice. Even 5 minutes alone can cause stress.

• Physical safety. Babies lack control over movements: they might bury their face in a plush toy, get tangled in a blanket, or fall off a changing table. Even mild spit-up can become dangerous if unattended.

• SIDS prevention. According to WHO, 80% of SIDS cases are due to unsafe sleep practices — like sleeping on soft surfaces or with pillows, blankets, and toys.

If you need to leave the room, make sure your baby is safe

• Place your baby in the crib or playpen, removing any loose items.

• Use a baby monitor for peace of mind.

• Ensure no hazards are nearby: wires, small objects, or pillows near the baby’s face.

• If your baby is awake, keep talking from the next room — your voice helps soothe them.

How to ensure safe sleep

• The crib should be firm and clear of pillows, blankets, bumpers, and plush toys.

• Always place your baby on their back — it reduces the risk of suffocation.

• Use sleep sacks instead of blankets and avoid frilly or tied clothing.

• Maintain room temperature between 18–22°C, without overheating.

• If baby sleeps alone, monitor them with a baby monitor.

FAQ about safety

— How to teach a baby to play independently?

Start with short 2–3 minute sessions in a safe area with toys. Slowly extend the time — but stay within hearing range.

— What if I need to leave the house?

Never leave a baby home alone. If you must go out, ask a loved one to watch the baby — or bring the baby with you.

— Can I leave the baby alone at night?

It’s not recommended to leave a young baby alone during sleep, even with a monitor.

If your baby is old enough to sleep in a separate room, make sure there are no pillows, toys, or blankets in a crib and use baby monitor

— When can a baby move to their own room?

This varies by child, but typically between 6–12 months — when sleep patterns are more regular.

— What if the baby wakes up crying?

Go to them and comfort them calmly, but avoid bright lights or active play — this helps them return to sleep more easily.

Essentials for baby care many parents choose

Sources

• WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience, WHO, https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240045989. ISBN: 978 92 4 004598 9. Accessed 2 Apr 2025.

• Recommendations for Parents of Children from 1–6 Months of Age, UNICEF, https://www.unicef.org/serbia/sites/unicef.org.serbia/files/2021-03/Eng_Recommendations%20for%20Parents%20of%20children%201%E2%80%936_web.pdf. Accessed 2 Apr 2025.

• “Getting Ready for Your Newborn at Home”, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, https://www.chop.edu/primary-care/getting-ready-your-newborn-home. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

• “Crib Safety Tips”, United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, www.cpsc.gov/safety-education/safety-guides/cribs/crib-safety-tips. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

• Recommendations for safe sleeping environments for infants and children. Paediatr Child Health. 2004 Nov;9(9):659-672. doi: 10.1093/pch/9.9.659. PMID: 19675857; PMCID: PMC2724135. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2724135/. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.

• Rachel Y. Moon, Rebecca F. Carlin, Ivan Hand, THE TASK FORCE ON SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME AND THE COMMITTEE ON FETUS AND NEWBORN; Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2022 Recommendations for Reducing Infant Deaths in the Sleep Environment. Pediatrics July 2022; 150 (1): e2022057990. 10.1542/peds.2022-057990. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/150/1/e2022057990/188304/Sleep-Related-Infant-Deaths-Updated-2022. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.