Who is The Lullaby Trust?

The charity exists to keep babies safe and keep grieving families supported. We do this by:

• Empowering parents, carers and professionals with trusted advice on safer sleep.
• Funding research into sudden and unexpected death of babies and young children, to save lives.
• Offering anyone affected by the sudden or unexpected death of a baby or young child a supportive space with bereavement support.

Making an Impact

The work we have done over the decades has reduced the rates of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by 80%. We’ve invested over £12 million into research over the years, which paired with our evidence-based safer sleep guidance and awareness, has saved over 30,000 babies’ lives since 1991. We will not rest until no baby dies suddenly or unexpectedly.

Safer Sleep Week 2025 – 10 – 16 March

One of our key campaigns of the year is Safer Sleep Week. We know that greater awareness of safer sleep leads to a decrease in the number of babies dying from SIDS, and gives families a safer start to life. With life-saving messages we will empower families and professionals with trusted advice.

For Safer Sleep Week 2025, we’ll be:

1. Exploring baby sleep patterns. How long do babies sleep for their age? When should you seek professional advice?
2. Busting baby sleep myths. Which myths and products are backed by evidence, and which aren’t, or could even be dangerous for your baby.
3. Supporting parents and carers through their own lack of sleep. We’ll help you with sleep deprivation, and make it easier for you to follow safer sleep with your baby, even when exhausted.

Exploring baby sleep cycles:

Babies’ sleep cycles are different to adults’ and change over the first few years. Adults experience 20-25% of their sleep as Active Sleep (Rapid Eye Movement, REM) and 75-80% as Quiet Sleep, where the brain is resting. Babies are very different, as over 50% of their sleep is Active Sleep, where they can wake more easily.

A baby’s sleep cycle is typically an hour long, with Active Sleep for around the first 20 minutes, followed by Quiet Sleep (deeper sleep) for the following 40 minutes. Whereas adults fall quickly into Quiet Sleep, and later move into Active Sleep.

How much do babies sleep?

• Newborn: Your newborn baby may sleep for anywhere between eight to 18 hours each day, but only for two to three hours at a time.

• 3-6 months: Your baby may sleep for longer periods now, as they need fewer night feeds. Some babies may sleep for eight hours or longer at night, but not all will.

• 6-12 months: Your baby may sleep for up to 12 hours at night, but factors like teething, illness and hunger could mean they wake more frequently again.

Around a third of babies will have never slept all night by 12 months. All babies are different and their sleep patterns will change, so try not to compare your baby to others. It is typical for babies under one (and sometimes older) to wake during the night, so encouraging babies to sleep for longer and more deeply than their stage of development isn’t advised. This is because it may affect their ability to wake up if something is wrong, such as if their mouth and nose become covered. This is a risk of SIDS.

If you’re really worried about your babies’ sleep pattern, ask your health professional for support. If you are worried about any symptoms your baby might be experiencing, our Baby Check app helps you decide whether to see a health professional or not. It can be downloaded for free on Google Play or the Apple App Store.

For more expert advice on safer sleep for babies, visit lullabytrust.org.uk – we’re here to help.

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To reduce the risk of SIDS follow our safer sleep advice, for every sleep, day and night.

The ABCs of safer sleep: The basics of safer sleep are simple to follow: Always sleep your baby on their Back, in a Clear cot or sleep space.