The New Mexico Department of Health is giving out free portable cribs to families who need a safe place for their babies to sleep, KRQE reports. "Every infant in the state deserves a safe start in life," Dr. Miranda Durham, NMDOH chief medical officer, said in a statement.
Sudden unexpected infant death ranks third among New Mexico’s infant deaths, after congenital malformations and perinatal conditions. The state recorded an average of 110 infant deaths each year from 2020 to 2024.
NMDOH recommends placing infants on their backs every time they sleep, on a firm, flat surface designed specifically for infant sleep, and keeping pillows, toys, loose bedding and other items out of the sleeping area. For the first six months, the department recommends keeping the baby in the parents’ room in a safe, clutter-free sleep area, and it encourages supervised tummy time while babies are awake.
To receive a free portable crib, families can visit safesleepNM.org and complete the free Safe Sleep training, then fill out the request form on the website and upload the completion certificate. So far, an estimated 2,400 New Mexicans have completed the training and obtained portable cribs.
Why It Matters
NMDOH said following safe sleep practices can lower the risk of sudden unexpected infant death and other sleep-related fatalities.
About This Story
Daily Reports is Brant.One’s news roundup. Each day we gather the New Mexico stories worth knowing from newsrooms across the state, sum them up and point you to the source. This one comes from KRQE’s reporting, and their original story has the interviews and full details.
Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story is now part of Daily Reports, our New Mexico news roundup, and was revised to credit KRQE’s original reporting. Learn how Daily Reports works in our editorial standards.
