Can My Baby Nap in a Sling or Carrier?

The honest answer

The Lullaby Trust puts it carefully, and the care matters: "Although there is no reliable evidence that slings are directly associated with SIDS, there have been a number of accidents worldwide where infants have died while being carried in a sling. Particularly in young infants."

It then explains what those accidents have in common. The risk "appears to be greatest when a baby's airway is blocked, either because their chin is resting on their chest or their mouth and nose are covered by the parent's skin or clothes". That is the whole safety question in one sentence. A sling nap is not inherently dangerous; a blocked airway is, and a sling is one of the places a small baby's airway gets blocked without anyone noticing.

TICKS, which both the UK and Australia publish

The Lullaby Trust points parents to the TICKS guidance from the Consortium of UK Sling Manufacturers and Retailers. Red Nose Australia publishes the same checklist. It stands for:

Tight. The sling should be tight enough to hug your baby close to you. A loose sling lets a baby slump, and slumping is what folds the airway.

In view at all times. You should be able to see your baby's face by simply glancing down, without moving fabric.

Close enough to kiss. Tipping your head forward should let you kiss the top of their head.

Keep chin off the chest. A baby should never be curled so their chin rests on their chest, because it restricts breathing. There should be a finger's width of space under the chin.

Supported back. Their back should be supported in a natural position, with their tummy and chest against you.

Red Nose adds one product rule that the UK guidance does not spell out as clearly: do not use products that are cocoon-like or womb-shaped. It also notes that injuries happen when a wearer trips or falls, when a product breaks, or when a baby slips out.

The rule people break most

Feeding. The Lullaby Trust is explicit that "hands-free" breastfeeding or bottle feeding — where the wearer moves around and does other jobs while the baby feeds in the sling — is unsafe. It says this is especially true for babies under four months, and for babies born prematurely or with a health condition. Its instruction is to take the baby out of the sling to feed, and then either return them to the sling or put them down in a safe space.

It also notes the mundane hazard: moving around with loose sling fabric is a trip risk.

Premature and smaller babies

The American Academy of Pediatrics is positive about baby-wearing generally, describing it as something that can prevent crying and support attachment and development. But its guidance in the preemie section carries a warning worth repeating: check with your baby's care provider before using a baby pack or pouch, because NICU graduates sometimes do not have enough muscle strength to keep their airways open in an unsupported position.

A sling nap is not a sleep space

This is where the answer becomes conditional. A sling nap happens while you are awake, upright and checking. It is not a place to leave a sleeping baby, and it is not a substitute for a cot. If you are going to sit down, lie down, or feel you might doze, the baby comes out and goes onto a firm, flat surface on their back.

The Lullaby Trust's wider airway guidance is the reason. It advises against anything that keeps a baby in a seated or inclined position for sleep, because it can restrict their breathing, and names soft-sided pods and nests, bouncy chairs, swings, hammocks and car seats as things that are not sleep spaces. A sling is a carrying device that a baby happens to sleep in, which puts it in the same category: fine while supervised, not a bed.

The NHS lists holding your baby or putting them in a sling among ways to comfort a crying baby, and points to RoSPA for guidance on safe babywearing.

Checks to make every single time

Before you start moving: face visible without lifting fabric, chin off chest, nose and mouth clear of your body and clothing, back supported, fabric tight. While you are wearing them: glance down often rather than on a timer, and check they are not getting too hot, since a sling adds your body heat to whatever they are wearing. Dress them for the sling, not for outside, and never put a hat on a baby sleeping against you indoors.

Heat, which is the quiet risk in a sling

A sling adds your body heat to whatever your baby is wearing, and a sleeping baby held against a chest under a coat can get very warm without looking it. The Lullaby Trust's TICKS guidance is explicit that the rules help make sure a baby "can breathe easily and is not overheating" — the two are listed together. Dress your baby for being inside a sling rather than for being outside, count the sling itself as a layer, and never put a hat on a baby who is asleep against you indoors. If you are wearing a coat over the sling, check your baby's chest or the back of their neck when you come inside, and open the coat before you sit down rather than after.

When to ask

Ask your health visitor, public health nurse or a local sling library to check your fit if you are unsure — sling libraries exist in most UK areas and will watch you put it on. Speak to a GP if your baby seems breathless, floppy or unusually quiet in the sling, and take them out immediately if their chin has dropped onto their chest or their face is against fabric. Call 999 if your baby is unresponsive, blue or grey, or is not breathing normally.