Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

Before I brought my first child home from the hospital I had read every book known to man about caring for babies. I knew how to feed my baby, how to change a diaper and most of all how my baby should sleep. I knew all the basics about cribs, bedding, sleep positions and baby sleep positioners.

The first thing I dealt with was the crib. All the books I read recommended that cribs be no more than five years old. Older cribs had two main problems, one the bars could be wide enough that a baby could get their head stuck between the bars and two older crib mattresses could leave a small space between the railings and the mattress where a baby could roll and get trapped. I found a great crib that had a tight fitting mattress and bars that were less than three inches apart.

The next thing I looked at was safe bedding for the crib. The baby books all recommended a tight fitting sheet for the mattress and nothing more. While crib bumpers and cute blankets look beautiful they pose a suffocation hazard for a sleeping baby. I found that using a onesie for pajamas or tightly wrapping my baby in a thin baby blanket like the ones used in hospitals worked great. I even went as far as taking a life size doll into my pediatrician and having her show me how to wrap the baby.

My final hurdle was how to lay the baby in her crib. Babies should always sleep on their backs. Years ago it was believed that babies should sleep on their stomachs and this is what many of our mothers and grandmothers did with us. But over time it was found that stomach sleeping increased the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Babies who are able to roll over will tend to roll to their stomachs and stay there. My pediatrician informed me that when the baby is strong enough to roll from her back to her stomach she should be allowed to do so.

If you find that you are extremely worried about stomach sleeping, like I was, you can purchase a baby sleep positioner. This product is made of soft foam and fits snuggly around the babies’ body preventing the baby from rolling over. I found that my babies woke up more when I tried to use this product which lead me to holding the baby and forgoing my own sleep. 

However you work it out remember to always provide a safe and secure sleeping arrangement for your baby.