Baby Care and Safety

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has some advice on how to safely place your baby to sleep.

Babies sleep safest:

• On their backs: Until their first birthday, babies should be placed on their backs for all sleep times, including naps. Babies can breathe better on their backs than on their stomachs or sides. Babies who sleep on their sides can more easily roll onto their stomach, making it harder for them to breathe and increasing their risk of suffocation.
• In an empty crib: Keep soft objects, loose bedding, or any other items that could increase the risk of suffocation out of the baby’s sleep area. Do not place pillows, blankets, toys, or bumper pads anywhere in your baby’s sleep area. If one of those items gets on the baby’s face, your baby may not be able to move his/her face away and can suffocate.
• Alone: Avoid sharing a bed with your baby. Your baby should not sleep in an adult bed, on a couch or on a chair, with you or anyone else during the day or night. The baby may suffocate if another person accidently rolls on top of her or covers her nose and mouth. The baby could also get trapped in bedding or suffocate under blankets or pillows.

Learn more about safe sleeping for babies.

Talking to your baby is one of the most important ways you can help the development of your baby's brain.

A texting program led by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) provides parents and caregivers of young children with once-a-week texts offering coaching tips and information relating to language development.

Online

Learn about tips for talking to your baby.

By Phone

Text “talk” to 877-877 to begin receiving weekly coaching tips.

Text4baby is a national program that delivers text messages to help pregnant women and mothers of infants. Anyone can sign up for free weekly health messages designed to help a woman through her  pregnancy and her baby's first year. 

The following cell phone carriers are waiving all fees for the text messages: 

• Verizon
• AT&T
• T-Mobile
• Sprint
• MetroPCS
• US Cellular
• nTelos

You can sign up online or by phone.

Online

Sign up online for Text4baby.

By Phone

Text "BABY" (for English texts) or "BEBE" (for Spanish texts) to 511411.

Health Messages

If you sign up for Text4baby, you will receive three weekly text messages  on topics such as:

• Nutrition
• Preventing birth defects
• Immunizations
• Mental health
• Risks of tobacco use

Become a Partner

If you are interested in becoming a partner in this campaign, go to the Health Care Provider Assistance page.