Keep Your Newborn Babies Safe (Part I) – Sleep Safety Tips

For the past year, I have heard enough fatal infant accidents in my local news that makes me feel sick to my stomach. Those accidents should have never happened in the first place. For instance, an infant was put to sleep on his tummy and died in his sleep. Another tragic accident was a newborn got suffocated by a plastic bag. This accident by far was the most senseless; a mother crushed and killed two of her newborn babies in her bed.

Keep Your Newborn Babies Safe (Part I) - Sleep Safety

Sleep Safety Tips

Crib Safety - If you buy your crib new, it will properly meet the most updated standard. If you buy it used, make sure to check the space between the slats should be less than 2 1/2 inches to prevent newborns' heads from getting stuck between the slats.

Crib Mattress Safety - The crib mattress should be firm and fit tightly inside the crib, you should not be able to put two fingers between the mattress and the crib, if you can you need to replace the mattress.

Prevent Suffocation And Reduce SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) - Keep blankets, stuffed animals, pillows, plastic bags or crib bumpers out of the crib because they can suffocate your infants. This type of accident happens a lot more often than you think. Unfortunately I have a story to tell, a plastic bag in the crib suffocated my mother-in-law's neighbor's newborn baby a few months ago.

Put Your Infant to Sleep on His/Her Back. Do not put your newborn to sleep on his/her side or tummy. Put them to sleep on their backs with their heads at a slight angle and their feet close to the end of the cribs. You can adjust one side of the cribs' metal frame to get the effect of a slight angle, that's what we did for our son and he seemed to like it. You should always put your infants' heads at a slightly higher angle than their feet. Of course it is also okay to leave the mattress flat too. You should check with your doctor to be sure. For the past year in my hometown area, there were three babies who died in their sleep and they were all being put to sleep on their tummies.

Do Not Sleep in The Same Bed As Your Infant. Believe it or not, I have heard a mother in my local area crushed and killed two of her newborn babies this way. The incidents happened about one year apart, their second baby got killed about 3 months ago. Our local government is trying to charge the mother "Murder", because she was being warned by her doctor not to put her infant in bed with her again.

For the first three months, my husband and I kept our son's crib in our bedroom so that we could monitor our baby. It gave us peace of mind to have our newborn baby in the same room with us.

Keep Your Infants Comfortable - Do not keep your infant too warm or too cold. Dress them up in onesies, footed pajamas, and wrap them up with soft thin cotton blankets. Keep the crib away from the windows to keep them away from the wind draft. Keep your home's temperature comfortable; if you are comfortable wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt, it will be comfortable enough for your newborn too.

Prevent Falling - Do not leave your newborn baby in your adult bed or the changing table unattended. My friend left her 1-week-old newborn in her bed and walked away to prepare a bottle, when she came back she found her brand new infant on the verge of falling off her bed. Don't underestimate what your newborns are capable of. It is better to be careful than to be sorry.