Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDs, you must have heard about this in the news articles or even from various other sources. There is an alarming increase as far as the number of babies dying due to SIDS. So, why there are such a huge number of causalities happening among babies while they are at sleep? Are there ways to keep your sleeping baby safe?
Why there are such a huge number of babies dying due to strangulation and suffocation while sleeping? This is a disconcerting issue that we need to address very early before it gets out of our hands. So, in this article, let’s have a discussion on how we can keep our babies safe while our little one is sleeping soundly.
In This Article
- What You Can Do: Recommendations To Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe
- How To Create An Environment To Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe?
- Can I Wrap My Baby While Sleeping?
What You Can Do: Recommendations To Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe
The first thing you need to understand is, that your baby needs to sleep on his or her back. There are parents who panic by thinking that their child could get suffocated. However, the fact of the matter is, that the airway anatomy of your baby will prevent that from happening.
Therefore, without any doubt or confusion, make sure that you encourage your baby to sleep on the back and create a skin-to-skin connection with the baby’s mother. Apart from this, here are some other important recommendations that will help you to keep your baby safe while sleeping.
1. Use A Firm Sleep Surface
Many concerned parents like to make their babies sleep on soft mattresses. However, doctors would never recommend you to do that. Even if your baby is sleeping in a crib or bassinet, the mattress in which he or she will sleep has to be firm as firm mattresses will reduce the chances of SIDS.
There are certain mattresses found especially for infants who could sleep in them in a risk-free way. However, there is no scientific proof of the efficacy of those mattresses. Therefore, you should ensure that the mattress of your baby is firm and not soft. Also, keep loose bed covers, blankets, soft toys, and crib bumpers out of the sleeping area of the child.
[Read : When Can Your Baby Sleep With a Blanket?]
2. Room Share—Keep Baby’s Sleep Area In The Same Room Where You Sleep For The First 6 Months Or, Ideally, For The First Year
If your baby is below 6 months or even a year, then it is great to have the baby sleeping in the same room in which you sleep. Basically, many parents even went too further by having their babies sleep in the same bed as them. Apparently, this is not a safe option because your bed will have a soft mattress in which your baby should not sleep.
Also, allowing your baby to sleep in an isolated room is also not a wise decision. What many doctors suggest is, to make the baby sleep on his back in the same room as you, but not in the same bed. Place your baby’s crib close to your bed.
3. Only Bring Your Baby Into Your Bed To Feed Or Comfort
The only time you should bring your baby to your bed is at the time when your baby is hungry and need food. Otherwise, you should not bring your baby to your bed often, not until he or she becomes over 12 months old.
If you are feeling sleepy, place the baby in his or her sleeping space. Also, if there is a chance that you might fall asleep while playing with the baby, ensure that is no item such as blankets or other items that could make the baby suffocate.
4. Never Place Your Baby To Sleep On A Couch, Sofa, Or Armchair
Well, allowing your baby to sleep on a sofa is a very dangerous thing to do with your baby. Many people have done this and also paid their price. As a responsible parent, you should never ever do that because it can create developmental issues as well as fatal consequences for your baby.
5. Bed-Sharing Is Not Recommended For Any Babies
Apparently, bed-sharing might seem safe and no harm could be done to your baby because of this. However, there are certain conditions and situations that make bed-sharing highly dangerous for your baby. So, let’s have a look at these situations:
- The baby is 4 months old or younger
- The baby’s birth weight is very low
- If you or anyone who sleeps in the bed smokes
- If you take sleeping pills
- If you or any other person who sleeps in the bed is alcoholic
- If you are not the parent of the baby
- If the surface of the bed is soft
- If you use a pillow or soft blankets
[Read : Precautions To Take While Co-Sleeping With Your Newborn]
6. Try Giving A Pacifier At Nap Time And Bedtime
Pacifiers help a lot in reducing the chances of SIDS. If you are breastfeeding your child then you should give the pacifier to your baby after breastfeeding. This will take around 2 to weeks. However, if you are not breastfeeding your child then you can start giving your baby pacifier whenever you want. Some of the babies don’t like pacifiers.
Well, you can try giving your baby one sometime later. Also, if the pacifier falls out of your baby’s mouth once he has gone to sleep, you will not have to bear the trouble of putting it back into his or her mouth.
[Read : Safe Sleep Environment For Babies]
How To Create An Environment To Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe?
Find below some tips to create a safe sleep environment for your baby:
- Do not use sleep positioners or rolled-up blankets to keep your baby on his or her back.
- Car seats and infant carriers are not an alternative to a crib.
- Never let anyone smoke in your baby’s room
- In case your room is undersized for a crib, use a cradle or a bassinet instead
- Make sure the baby is not getting too warm.
Can I Wrap My Baby While Sleeping?
There is no harm in swaddling your baby while. However, you should make sure your baby is always on his or her back when swaddled. Likewise, the swaddle should not be too tight. Make sure your baby can breathe and there is enough room for the baby to move his or her hips comfortably. You should also stop swaddling once your baby starts to try rollover.
Finally, these are some of the essential steps that can really help your baby to sleep soundly and also securely which is very important in order to avoid the chances of SIDS.
Read Also: When Can I Let My Baby Sleep Alone? by Dr. Srikanta J T
