Trump disbands 'Safe to Sleep' infant safety initiative. Here's critical information for parents.
As a new parent, I'd sneak into my sleeping son's room numerous times a day and night, heart pounding, ensuring he was still breathing. Thanks to Safe to Sleep, a campaign launched three decades ago, I was aware of the high rate of sleep-related infant fatalities in the U.S.
With a partnership between the federal government and private organizations, Safe to Sleep, now known as Infant Sleep Safety Awareness, launched in 1994, aiming to reduce babies' sleep-related deaths. Dr. Rachel Moon, a pediatrician and researcher at the University of Virginia, who contributed to the American Academy of Pediatrics' safe sleep guidelines, attests to its effectiveness. The campaign, from its inception, resulted in a 50% decrease in infants' sleep-related deaths – a significant victory.
However, the Trump administration shockingly shut down the office responsible for leading the campaign in April 2025. The termination of the entire communications department of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, where the office responsible for Safe to Sleep was housed, caught experts off-guard. As first reported by STAT News, the abrupt shutdown led to the end of Safe to Sleep.
The campaign emphasized essential safe sleep recommendations such as back-to-sleep positions, firm mattresses, designated sleep spaces like cribs or bassinets, and avoidance of soft items like blankets that could potentially increase the risk of suffocation or strangulation – the leading cause of injury death for infants under 12 months old.
Safe to Sleep reached out to parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers through social media, targeted pamphlets, and translated materials. They also provided hospitals and healthcare providers with resources to educate patients. These materials, primarily produced and distributed by the NICHD's communications office, unfortunately are no longer being produced or distributed, leaving non-profit organizations like First Candle in a tough spot.
After holding steady for years, infant sleep-related fatalities grew by nearly 12% between 2020 and 2025. Researchers suspect that this increase may have resulted from parents lacking critical safe sleep information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare access might have been limited, leaving parents without the necessary resources.
NPR reached out to the National Institutes of Health for comment regarding the fate of the Safe to Sleep campaign. In an email, the agency stated that no final decision had been made on the continued existence of the Safe to Sleep campaign. The materials remain accessible online.
Visiting the Safe to Sleep website, I noticed that the pamphlets and other materials could still be downloaded, but several were temporarily unavailable for orders. Christina Stile, the former deputy director for the NICHD communications office that was terminated, said that the office used to distribute millions of publications annually. The future of the Safe to Sleep campaign and its life-saving resources remains uncertain.
Alison Jacobson from First Candle, a non-profit that has supported the Safe to Sleep campaign since it began, comments on the potential impact of the shutdown. She shares concerns that it will become significantly harder to distribute vital resources and information to parents, increasing the risk of infant mortality. Parents, Jacobsons says, often express regret at not being made aware of safe sleep practices, ainging, "Nobody told me" or "I didn't know."
The uncertainty and looming risks surrounding the Safe to Sleep campaign have experts worried about the future fate of countless infants. This sudden, abrupt end to a successful public health campaign dangers the well-being of the very young.
- The Trump administration decided to shut down the office responsible for leading the Safe to Sleep campaign in April 2025.
- The federal government partnered with private organizations to launch Infant Sleep Safety Awareness, previously known as Safe to Sleep, in 1994.
- Dr. Rachel Moon, a pediatrician and researcher, contributed to the American Academy of Pediatrics' safe sleep guidelines.
- The campaign, over three decades ago, led to a significant decrease in infants' sleep-related deaths.
- The termination of the entire communications department of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development caught experts off-guard.
- Safe to Sleep reached out to parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers through various means.
- The materials produced and distributed by the NICHD's communications office are no longer being produced or distributed.
- Infant sleep-related fatalities increased by nearly 12% between 2020 and 2025.
- Parents may have struggled to access critical safe sleep information during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- NPR reached out to the National Institutes of Health for comment on the Safe to Sleep campaign's continued existence.
- The Safe to Sleep website still allows the downloading of pamphlets and other materials but some are temporarily unavailable for orders.
- Christina Stile, the former deputy director for the NICHD communications office, mentioned that the office used to distribute millions of publications annually.
- Alison Jacobson from First Candle, a non-profit that has supported the Safe to Sleep campaign since it began, expressed concerns about the potential impact of the shutdown.
- Parents often express regret at not being made aware of safe sleep practices, saying "Nobody told me" or "I didn't know."
- Experts are concerned about the future fate of countless infants following the sudden, abrupt end to a successful public health campaign.
- The uncertainty surrounding the Safe to Sleep campaign dangers the well-being of the very young.
- The elimination of such health and wellness campaigns raises questions about the role of government, policy and legislation, and the implications for public health services and resources.
