come off.
2. Babies should sleep on a firm surface, such as a safety-approved crib mattress, covered by a tight-fitting crib sheet. Never place your baby to sleep on pillows, quilts, sheepskins, or other soft surfaces. Infants should never sleep or nap on adult beds, waterbeds, sofas, or soft mattresses.
3. Be careful about buying or using secondhand cribs, bassinets, or co-sleepers, even if they’ve been in the family for years. Safety standards have changed and some products have been recalled or taken off the market. Contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission at 1-800-638-2772 or at http://www.cpsc.gov http://www.cpsc.gov . Consumer Reports has also reminded parents that co-sleepers have not been tested as of this writing.
4. You’ll see numerous devices and gadgets on the market that claim to help a baby maintain a safe sleep position, but they have not all been tested for safety and efficacy, and are not recommended. Generally, avoid them. If you have some specific concern about your child’s sleep position or movement, talk to your doctor.
5. Cribs should be placed in a warm, dark part of the room, away from windows. Blankets should not dangle from the side of the crib, and wall hangings need to be well out of a baby’s reach so she can’t pull them down on herself. Keep soft objects, toys, and loose bedding out of your baby’s sleep area. Don’t use pillows, blankets, quilts, sheepskins, or pillowlike crib bumpers (other than the small blanket you swaddle a newborn in, and that should be away from the face). They all pose a risk of suffocation.
6. At 6 months, remove all crib mobiles or toys attached to crib sides because once the baby can pull and grab, they become a hazard. In fact, I like keeping mobiles away from the crib all the time; use them someplace where she’s awake. Make the crib or sleep area “boring” as well as safe.
7. Do not let your baby overheat during sleep. Keep room temperatures at what would be comfortable for a lightly clothed adult. Once you stop swaddling your baby, use a microfleece sleep sack or blanket sleeper. If the bedroom is cooler, use two sleep sacks or place one over the pajamas or onesies.
8. Remember that the American Academy of Pediatrics, strongly recommends that you do not smoke around your baby and should not allow anyone else to smoke around your baby. Smoking exposure may increase the risk of SIDS and other respiratory illnesses.
9. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies not sleep in a bed or on a couch or armchair with adults or other children. But it’s fine to have an infant close by in your room, particularly in the early months. (See my advice on room sharing in Good Night, Sleep Tight for more information.) If you bring your baby into bed with you to breastfeed, put him back in a separate sleep area, such as a bassinet, crib, cradle, or a bedside co-sleeper (infant bed that attaches to an adult bed) when finished. When he starts to roll and move in his sleep, graduate to a standard crib for better—and safer—sleeping.
Remember that beds that are perfectly safe and comfortable for adults or older children can be very hazardous for babies. Soft bedding and other items in the adult bed increase the risk of SIDS and suffocation, especially for young babies. A baby or small child can also fall from the bed or get trapped between the mattress and the structure of the bed (the headboard, footboard, side rails, and frame), between the bed and the wall or nearby furniture, or even between railings in the headboard or footboard. Fatalities have been documented.
If you do choose to have your baby in the family bed, understand all the bed-sharing safety rules and always follow them . Parents who do have a baby in bed with them for even part of the night must never smoke or use substances, such as alcohol or drugs (including prescription drugs that make you sleep heavily), that may impair arousal, making them less aware of their
2. Babies should sleep on a firm surface, such as a safety-approved crib mattress, covered by a tight-fitting crib sheet. Never place your baby to sleep on pillows, quilts, sheepskins, or other soft surfaces. Infants should never sleep or nap on adult beds, waterbeds, sofas, or soft mattresses.
3. Be careful about buying or using secondhand cribs, bassinets, or co-sleepers, even if they’ve been in the family for years. Safety standards have changed and some products have been recalled or taken off the market. Contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission at 1-800-638-2772 or at http://www.cpsc.gov http://www.cpsc.gov . Consumer Reports has also reminded parents that co-sleepers have not been tested as of this writing.
4. You’ll see numerous devices and gadgets on the market that claim to help a baby maintain a safe sleep position, but they have not all been tested for safety and efficacy, and are not recommended. Generally, avoid them. If you have some specific concern about your child’s sleep position or movement, talk to your doctor.
5. Cribs should be placed in a warm, dark part of the room, away from windows. Blankets should not dangle from the side of the crib, and wall hangings need to be well out of a baby’s reach so she can’t pull them down on herself. Keep soft objects, toys, and loose bedding out of your baby’s sleep area. Don’t use pillows, blankets, quilts, sheepskins, or pillowlike crib bumpers (other than the small blanket you swaddle a newborn in, and that should be away from the face). They all pose a risk of suffocation.
6. At 6 months, remove all crib mobiles or toys attached to crib sides because once the baby can pull and grab, they become a hazard. In fact, I like keeping mobiles away from the crib all the time; use them someplace where she’s awake. Make the crib or sleep area “boring” as well as safe.
7. Do not let your baby overheat during sleep. Keep room temperatures at what would be comfortable for a lightly clothed adult. Once you stop swaddling your baby, use a microfleece sleep sack or blanket sleeper. If the bedroom is cooler, use two sleep sacks or place one over the pajamas or onesies.
8. Remember that the American Academy of Pediatrics, strongly recommends that you do not smoke around your baby and should not allow anyone else to smoke around your baby. Smoking exposure may increase the risk of SIDS and other respiratory illnesses.
9. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies not sleep in a bed or on a couch or armchair with adults or other children. But it’s fine to have an infant close by in your room, particularly in the early months. (See my advice on room sharing in Good Night, Sleep Tight for more information.) If you bring your baby into bed with you to breastfeed, put him back in a separate sleep area, such as a bassinet, crib, cradle, or a bedside co-sleeper (infant bed that attaches to an adult bed) when finished. When he starts to roll and move in his sleep, graduate to a standard crib for better—and safer—sleeping.
Remember that beds that are perfectly safe and comfortable for adults or older children can be very hazardous for babies. Soft bedding and other items in the adult bed increase the risk of SIDS and suffocation, especially for young babies. A baby or small child can also fall from the bed or get trapped between the mattress and the structure of the bed (the headboard, footboard, side rails, and frame), between the bed and the wall or nearby furniture, or even between railings in the headboard or footboard. Fatalities have been documented.
If you do choose to have your baby in the family bed, understand all the bed-sharing safety rules and always follow them . Parents who do have a baby in bed with them for even part of the night must never smoke or use substances, such as alcohol or drugs (including prescription drugs that make you sleep heavily), that may impair arousal, making them less aware of their
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