Not until at least 12 months. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping stuffed animals, pillows, blankets, and all other soft objects out of your baby's sleep space for the first year, because they raise the risk of suffocation and SIDS.

I know how tempting it is. The nursery is set up, the cutest little bunny is sitting on the shelf, and it feels like the crib should have something in it. But for that first year, an empty sleep space is a safe sleep space. 

Why Stuffed Animals Aren't Safe in the Crib Before 12 Months

• Suffocation. Young babies can roll into a soft toy but can't reliably push it away from their nose and mouth.
• SIDS risk. The AAP lists soft objects in the sleep space as a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome.
• Choking. Button eyes, ribbons, and small parts can come loose.

What Can Go in the Crib?

For the first year, the AAP's safe sleep guidance keeps it simple:

• A firm, flat mattress with a fitted sheet
• Your baby, on their back
• A pacifier, with nothing attached to it

That's it. No bumpers, no pillows, no loose blankets, no stuffed animals. If you're worried about your baby getting cold, a wearable blanket or sleep sack takes the place of a loose blanket. This Breathing Reassurance Sleep Sack is organic cotton and reflects light from your night vision monitor, so it's easier to see your baby breathing when you check on them.

What About Pacifiers Attached to Stuffed Animals?

This is the one that catches a lot of parents. Plush pacifier holders are everywhere, and the current Babylist Pacifier Box even includes a pacifier with a stuffed animal attached.

They're cute, and they can make a pacifier easier for a baby to find while they're awake. But a pacifier attached to a stuffed animal is still a stuffed animal in the crib. The AAP recommends offering a plain pacifier at naps and bedtime, and it specifically says not to attach stuffed toys or other objects to a pacifier during sleep. Pacifier clips come off for sleep too. More on clips in how many pacifiers you actually need.

If the pacifier falls out after your baby is asleep, you don't need to put it back in.

A Safer Way to Soothe at Sleep Time

The AAP recommends offering a pacifier at naps and bedtime because it's linked to a lower risk of SIDS. If you're breastfeeding, the AAP suggests waiting until breastfeeding is well established. More on that in are pacifiers safe for newborns?

The Soothe Beginnings Pacifier Starter Kit is a plain pacifier by design: no plush, no clip, no hidden pockets for mold, and no gaps for little fingers. It comes with three swappable nipple shapes, so you can find the one your baby actually takes. Two of them pass the triangle test. Want to try all three shapes for less? Flex uses the same nipples for $26.

Heirloom Starter Kit

Plastic-free, premium hand-finished keepsake with three nipple shapes to find your baby's perfect fit.

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Flex Pacifier Starter Kit

Flexibility for everyday life, compatible with our Heirloom pacifiers.

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How to Start a Lovey Before 12 Months (Safely)

You don't have to wait until the first birthday to build a bond with a lovey. You just keep it out of the crib.

• Bring the lovey into cuddles, feeds, and play while your baby is awake and you're watching.
• Make it part of the bedtime routine, like reading a book together, then set it outside the crib before you lay your baby down.
• Once your baby is 12 months or older and your pediatrician gives the okay, choose a small, lightweight lovey with no buttons, beads, or loose parts.

The Bottom Line

Stuffed animals stay out of the crib until at least 12 months, and that includes the ones attached to pacifiers. Until then, a plain pacifier and a sleep sack are the comfort items the safe sleep guidance supports. The lovey can wait for the crib. It doesn't have to wait for the snuggles.

Lindsay, CBC, Founder, Soothe Beginnings

Sources

• American Academy of Pediatrics. Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2022 Recommendations for Reducing Infant Deaths in the Sleep Environment. Pediatrics, 2022.
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Safe to Sleep campaign.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Safely Using Baby Pacifiers.

This content is for educational purposes and isn't a substitute for personalized medical advice. Talk with your pediatrician about your baby's sleep.