Back to Sleep: The Best Bedtime Position for Baby

People often lament jokingly that babies don't come with instruction manuals. And first-time parents sometimes feel truly surprised at being sent home from the birthplace with a one-, two-, or three-day-old and no experience whatsoever: "They're letting us take him home by ourselves? Are they nuts?"

One instruction you will definitely be given at any hospital or birth center, however, is to place your infant on her back to sleep. They'll even send you home with little doorknob signs saying "Back to Sleep" to remind you.

Now, you may sometimes wish your baby would get back to sleep, or you may be tempted to scratch out Sleep and change the sign to "Back to Wail and Cry." But stick with it; back sleeping for newborns is more than a baby-care fad; research shows it's safest.