How does your baby sleep??

amother

Magenta

Sun, Feb 09 2020, 3:47 pm

I am also shocked at how many women are putting their babies to sleep in a position other than back (>50%) as well as those engaging in other unsafe behaviors, such as co-sleeping. Life is full of unavoidable risks, but why would anyone put their child at risk, when it can be avoided? Take it from a parent who lost a (seemingly) healthy infant - who just did not wake up one morning!!! Nobody thinks it will happen to them. I didn’t think so either, but it happened to me, and it can happen to anyone else, the same way. Yes, it’s a small chance - but given that the consequences are devastating and irreversible - is this a chance you want to take?????

I am also shocked at how much misinformation is casually disseminated here. I can’t respond to each comment, but this is from The Mayo Clinic @ https://www.mayoclinic.org/dis.....52800

There's no guaranteed way to prevent SIDS, but you can help your baby sleep more safely by following these tips:

Back to sleep. Place your baby to sleep on his or her back, rather than on the stomach or side, every time you — or anyone else — put the baby to sleep for the first year of life. This isn't necessary when your baby's awake or able to roll over both ways without help.

Don't assume that others will place your baby to sleep in the correct position — insist on it. Advise sitters and child care providers not to use the stomach position to calm an upset baby.

Keep the crib as bare as possible. Use a firm mattress and avoid placing your baby on thick, fluffy padding, such as lambskin or a thick quilt. Don't leave pillows, fluffy toys or stuffed animals in the crib. These can interfere with breathing if your baby's face presses against them.

Don't overheat your baby. To keep your baby warm, try a sleep sack or other sleep clothing that doesn't require additional covers. Don't cover your baby's head.

Have your baby sleep in in your room. Ideally, your baby should sleep in your room with you, but alone in a crib, bassinet or other structure designed for infants, for at least six months, and, if possible, up to a year.

Adult beds aren't safe for infants. A baby can become trapped and suffocate between the headboard slats, the space between the mattress and the bed frame, or the space between the mattress and the wall. A baby can also suffocate if a sleeping parent accidentally rolls over and covers the baby's nose and mouth.

Breast-feed your baby, if possible. Breast-feeding for at least six months lowers the risk of SIDS.
Don't use baby monitors and other commercial devices that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages the use of monitors and other devices because of ineffectiveness and safety issues.

Offer a pacifier. Sucking on a pacifier without a strap or string at naptime and bedtime might reduce the risk of SIDS. One caveat — if you're breast-feeding, wait to offer a pacifier until your baby is 3 to 4 weeks old and you've settled into a nursing routine. If your baby's not interested in the pacifier, don't force it. Try again another day. If the pacifier falls out of your baby's mouth while he or she is sleeping, don't pop it back in.

Immunize your baby. There's no evidence that routine immunizations increase SIDS risk. Some evidence indicates immunizations can help prevent SIDS.

tichellady

Sun, Feb 09 2020, 4:28 pm

amother [ Magenta ] wrote:

I agree with most of this but I think cosleeping can be safer depending on the circumstances. A parent cannot function on no sleep so if a baby refuses to sleep unless being held then cosleeping is the better option.

amother

Seagreen

Sun, Feb 09 2020, 5:07 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

o gosh!
just looked it up, costs a fortune..

Yes but it gave me peace of mind and allowed my kids to sleep soundly on their tummies. I also used it for more than one child so it really did not come out to be expensive.

missmuffetsmum

Sun, Feb 09 2020, 5:36 pm

I remember the midwife at my birthing classes asking a parent who mentioned the owlet sock - "And what do you plan to do if the alarm goes off?" If you hve such a sock or monitor, you actually have to know CPR for it to help at all.

amother

Indigo

Sun, Feb 09 2020, 5:48 pm

missmuffetsmum wrote:

...so....how about make yourself know CPR...

Either way, as a parent, you should know first aid!!!!!! And take it every few years!!!

missmuffetsmum

Sun, Feb 09 2020, 5:56 pm

amother [ Indigo ] wrote:

...so....how about make yourself know CPR...

Either way, as a parent, you should know first aid!!!!!! And take it every few years!!!

My point exactly! Owlet + untrained parent = not much help. Owlet + CPR qualification+ Hashem's mercy = helpful.

amother

Magenta

Sun, Feb 09 2020, 5:57 pm

missmuffetsmum wrote:

I considered getting a similar monitor when my next child was born (when I was understandably anxious and afraid to sleep for fear of a repeat occurrence), and my pediatrician advised against it. She said there would probably be annoying false alarms, and in a case of actual SIDS chv’shlm, it would probably be too late to do anything, in any case. She advised simply being vigilant back sleeping and forgoing the monitor (which I did). A monitor does not in any way replace the need for safe sleep practices, as it is not a preventive measure!

mizle10

Sun, Feb 09 2020, 6:24 pm

missmuffetsmum wrote:

Every mother should know cpr and the Heimlich maneuver

Rachel Shira

Sun, Feb 09 2020, 7:12 pm

2 things -
Just because everyone here is saying that they put their babies on their tummies does not mean it’s safe!
And as someone stated above, the owlet monitor is not a substitute for safe sleep, and can cause false alarms plus a false sense of security.

amother

Seagreen

Sun, Feb 09 2020, 7:52 pm

missmuffetsmum wrote:

BH I know CPR, although I hope to never use it. I also never co-slept in bed with them. My kids were in a bassinet next to my bed until about 6 months old. Their mattresses were firm and had nothing in it, and they had pacifiers.

I did try to have them back sleep but I ended up being up all night.

I feel like I tried my best and did my hishtadlus.

amother

Fuchsia

Sun, Feb 09 2020, 8:00 pm

Plenty of mothers choose not to nurse for six months even though nursing babies have a lower sids risk. No one yells at them for endangering their babies' lives, because sids is really not well understood, and parents should not be forced into things that make parenting significantly more difficult for them. Same goes for sleep position.

mizle10

Sun, Feb 09 2020, 8:14 pm

amother [ Periwinkle ] wrote:

Then it was tummy during the day -when I could keep an eye on him and back with swaddle at night

I never understood this, if something where to happen ch”v it wouldn’t take long at all. Unless your checking on your baby every 30 seconds keeping an eye on them doesn’t do much.

amother

Gray

Sun, Feb 09 2020, 9:22 pm

My babies always slept on their stomachs. Except my youngest who automatically puts his nose into the mattress face down every time I tried putting him down on his stomach. So I tried back sleeping which was also dangerous because countless times he'd spit up and choke silently. I only noticed because I watch my babies every second. Side sleeping and elevating half the crib also had the choking issue. I ended up putting him to nap in a stroller by day.
In any case, I cosleep safely with my babies at night. They sleep on my arm, on their side, and nurse while sleeping. I do not roll over- you cant roll when your arm is extended. I have no headboard and I push away blankets and pillows. Cosleeping and SIDS correlation has much to do with parents who drink or smoke, neither of which is an issue here. Also air circulation helps prevent SIDS, and I always have a fan on, even in the winter.

Rachel Shira

Sun, Feb 09 2020, 9:33 pm

amother [ Fuchsia ] wrote:

This is actually inaccurate. There is a baseline risk every baby has for SIDS, and some things like nursing can decrease the risk. But giving formula just keeps it at the baseline. On the other hand, stomach sleeping increases the risk.

amother

Ginger

Sun, Feb 09 2020, 10:04 pm

Rachel Shira wrote:

All this tells us is where the researchers set their baseline. It’s not like there’s five sleep positions studied and 4/5 have same risk, just tummy sleeping is more. There’s two choices studied, back vs stomach, so they make one the baseline arbitrarily and compare the other to it.

Side sleeping (with wedges) is in fact also considered increased risk and not advised.

You could also say that breastfeeding is baseline and formula feeding increases risk, but it’s obvious why they don’t word it like that.

amother

Peach

Mon, Feb 10 2020, 6:02 pm

amother [ Gray ] wrote:

They did studies on this and came out that babies cannot choke on their spit up from laying on their back.