by BabyCenter Guest Blogger posted in Products & Prizes

Being a parent is hard. Being an exhausted parent is impossible. When faced with new infant safe sleep recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), many parents want to run for the hills. I am met with wails of ?What do I do"!"!? ?How"!"!? and ?What the hell"!? It?s okay. Grab your (probably cold) coffee and settle in. I am a safe sleep expert. I?m here to help.
The AAP released its new safe sleep guidelines this past October. Every 5 years, a bunch of really smart doctors and scientists get together and review all the data around infant safe sleep. As an injury prevention expert, I nerd out over this data. Most of it is NSFP (not safe for parents) because it has a lot of numbers, charts, and (heartbreaking) pictures of infant sleep death. Not a pretty or fun topic, but I?ve committed most of my professional life to it anyway.
So, want to know what the AAP has to say in the newest safe sleep guidelines" Let?s find out.
1. Back to sleep. This one isn?t new. Pediatricians have been telling us for years that the safest position for new babies to sleep is flat on their back.

Once your baby starts rolling over easily from back to front, please do not stand over your baby all night long rolling her over from belly to back. Use that time to take a shower. Seriously. You may need it.

2. Breastfeed if you can, for as long as you can. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of Sudd...