Campaign History

Safe to Sleep logo.The Safe to Sleep® campaign began in 1994, as the Back to Sleep campaign, then named for its main recommendation for all healthy babies to be placed on their backs to sleep to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Led by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health, and other collaborating organizations, the campaign was expanded and renamed Safe to Sleep® in 2012 to address not only SIDS, but also other sleep-related infant deaths.

Read more about important milestones in Safe to Sleep® history, NICHD’s outreach efforts and partnerships related to the campaign, and the progress of NICHD’s research on safe infant sleep.

2024

  • Safe to Sleep® continues to add to its resources in multiple languages, with campaign materials, including social media, in Arabic, French, and Spanish.

2023

2022

  • During SIDS Awareness Month, Safe to Sleep® introduces the #ClearTheCrib Challenge, a fun activity to raise awareness about safe infant sleep. The Challenge becomes a key part of safe infant sleep activities year-round. Learn more about the #ClearTheCrib Challenge.

2020