Safe sleep is to ensure your baby will not die from suffocation or (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) S.I.D.S. S.I.D.S. is able to occur up to in children from 0-2 years old, but most cases occur in the first year. To ensure that your baby is sleeping safely, remember that it is as easy as ABC’s:
Alone
On the Back
In a Crib
- Your baby should be alone in a crib to sleep. That means no pillows (until 18 months old and it should be very flat, no more that 2 inches thick). No stuffed animals or toys. Only mesh bumpers and tight fitted crib sheets.
- There should be no more than 2 fingers of open space between the mattress and the crib bars. Many babies have rolled over into a large gap between the mattress and crib and have suffocated.
- Do not over dress your baby.
- They can be in a full-length P.J. with a light blanket.
- A onsie and pants and a swaddle blanket.
- *Babies cannot regulate their body temperature due to low body fat, so if they are sweating behind their neck and on scalp, your baby is too hot! Time to remove some layers.
- Do not under dress your baby.
- For example, placing your baby in the crib with just wearing a onsie (no blanket, no socks, no pants) is going to make your baby’s body temperature drop. Make sure they are fully clothed, with a light blanket.
What are the risks if Mom decides to share a bed with the baby?
As a Mother, I understand the benefits of this mentality:
-The baby gets your body heat
-You can know that they are right there with you.
-You can both get some sleep together.
-You get to skip the paranoia of checking to see if they’re breathing because your baby is right there with you and you can hear them or see them breath.
As sweet as this is, it is a high risk for:
The baby dying from S.I.D.S.
Unknowingly, a Mother can suffer from extreme exhaustion (understandably) and roll onto the baby (while in a deep sleep) and suffocate the baby.
Babies can also roll off the bed, hurt themselves badly or worse.
Babies can begin to “snuggle up” to Mommy and accidentally suffocate themselves with a pillow, mattress, blanket, etc.
SAFETY TIPS
A crib should not have anything in it except mesh bumpers, a solid and firm mattress with fitted (tight crib sheets), the baby and a sleeper sack instead of a blanket. Babies can be swaddled for sleep up until around 4 months when they begin to roll over, then switch to a sleeper sack. No toys, no pillows (until the baby is 18 months old, then it can only be 2 inches thick). No thick blankets or wedges around the head. An infant is unable to lift their head if it’s nose is pressed against items like these.
Some parents worry that their baby will choke up on their own vomit, but babies are designed not to, if on their back, it is how their esophagus is made and are more likely to choke, while lying on their tummy! While on their backs, babies are mainly nose breathing, so just make sure that their nasal passage is always clear of boogies. An example of nose breathing is when they are sucking on a pacifier during sleep.
To avoid a “flat head” simply change the baby’s position on a regular basis to keep this from happening.
Remove any Mobils or hanging toys once the baby is able to get up on all fours (usually around 5 months).
Never us an inflatable (blow-up) mattress in a crib or make adjustments, like using a soft dog bed on top of the crib mattress (yes, I actually worked with a family that did this!)
Keep the baby room at a comfortable temperature, the key is to make sure their skin is warm and that they are not sweating behind their head.
Dress the baby in the same number of layers as yourself, plus one. Never allow the baby to overheat.
In conclusion, the baby’s safety is first! This is not to bring fear into your heart, but to teach you to recognize smart crib safety. Enjoy your little one, don’t become paranoid. Just follow the guidelines and you’ll both be just fine.
