Can My Baby Have a Soft Toy?

Soft toys should never be placed in the sleeping environment. Soft objects in the cot can be a suffocation risk.

  • Keep soft toys out of the sleeping environment for babies under seven months of age because they may cover the nose and mouth and interfere with breathing.
  • The risk posed by suffocation by the presence of soft objects in the baby’s sleeping environment outweighs any benefit to the baby from a soft toy. It is therefore advised not place soft toys and other soft objects in the cot for babies under seven months of age.
  • Seven month old babies are more likely to explore objects in their sleeping environments than younger babies. Some babies over seven months of age may appreciate a small object such as a soft toy to provide comfort and connection (transitional object1) during times of separation from their parent.
  • Keep the cot free of large soft toys, pillows, bumpers, activity centres and anything else that could be ‘stacked’ to assist a young child/toddler to climb out of the cot.

For further in depth information on this topic, see our Red Nose Information Statement Soft Toys in the Cot.


Last modified: 12/10/16

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