Friday, September 20, 2019
For all parents, keeping your children safe is always top-of-mind. But for new parents with their first child, the untraversed terrain of childcare can feel rife with safety concerns. To help, Happiest Baby offers the following safety tips.- Don't share a bed with your infant. More than 3,500 babies in the U.S. die suddenly and unexpectedly every year while sleeping, among those who die before the end of their 3rd month, 70 percent die in bed with their parents.
- Careful where you put your baby to sleep! No's include living room furniture, inclined rockers, car seats and swings. New statistics say room-sharing can lower the risk of SIDS by as much as 50 percent. It's easier to keep an eye on your baby, comfort, and feed him.
- Lose the loose blankets, bumper pads, quilts, pillows and toys. Bulky bedding is a very real suffocation risk.
- Babies should rest/sleep on their backs. About 50 percent of babies who die in their sleep are on the stomach at the time of death. Until at least 6 months, babies should only sleep on the back – for naps and at night. We know babies who sleep on their stomachs are 3-4 times more likely to die. Some parents worry that babies will choke when on their backs, but that's almost unheard of. That's because the baby's airway anatomy and a simple turn of the head prevent that from happening.
- Snugly swaddle baby so that they cannot turn over! Some babies calm immediately with swaddling, but many resist and may actually cry louder initially. But remember, most doctors warn to stop swaddling once the baby is beginning to roll over, usually at 2-3 months of age.
Source: Happiest Baby
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