Baby Safety- Sleep and Nursery

September 2010 is dedicated to Sleep Safety by the JPMA in order to help educate parents and caregivers on the importance of creating a safe sleeping environment.

Always choose a JPMA certified crib, bassinet, play yard, or cradle for your baby.
All recent JPMA certified cribs will be in compliance with all safety requirements (fixed NO drop sides on cribs, spacing between crib slats, etc…). Use tight fitted sheets, properly sized mattress, remove all loose blankets, pillows, & stuffed animals and use a flat bumper (for the first 4-6 months) or a Breathable Bumper– which can be used from birth until baby is no longer in the crib.
Never hang pictures, shelves, or loose items above baby’s crib. Keep all cords away from the crib and out of baby’s reach. Don’t tie anything (toys, etc.) to the crib with string or ribbon. If you have a very active baby/toddler/monkey child, It might be a good idea to check out a Crib Tent. My second son wasn’t quite ready for a “big boy bed” when he started climbing the sides of his crib. The Crib Tent put my mind at ease considering he could catapult himself out in .2 seconds without a worry in the world that he could get hurt. Seriously, he was opening the door right after we would shut it.
Check the JPMA Did You Know page for additional information and crib safety facts.

I used an Arm’s Reach Co-Sleeper Bassinet with baby #2 and #3 for the first 4+ months and loved everything about it. Well, everything except the fact that I had to scoot to the bottom of the bed to go pee (which, as you know, is every 2 minutes after you have a baby) but it was so worth it.

Do not use any loose blankets while your baby is sleeping. I prefer to use the wearable blankets.

New babies love to feel like they are still in the womb. Swaddling not only accomplishes the womb-like feeling, it can also helps reduce the risk of SIDS. Swaddling also helps baby sleep better as it can keep the Moro Reflex — or the startle reflex– from waking a happy, sleeping baby. Don’t worry, baby will still wake up when he’s hungry.

Keep a close eye on the temperature of your baby’s room. Use a digital temperature monitor in every room your baby sleeps in. It is best to keep the room between 65-70 degrees fahrenheit. Layer your baby one additional layer than you would yourself. Although, the layering “rule” doesn’t apply to all babies; my third was/is a hot box so he has always been dressed for bed on the lighter side. Having a digital temperature and humidity reading of your baby’s room also helps when baby gets sick, as you can adjust the humidity level with a cool mist humidifier.

One of the best inventions out there? The Video Monitor. Every parent I’ve ever talked to has an obsession with checking on their baby while they sleep but they also have a fear of waking up their baby. Not anymore!

Make sure to Baby Proof the nursery as you would the rest of your home.

Just because it’s the end of September, and the end of Baby Safety Month 2010; it doesn’t mean we have to say goodbye to the importance and the reminders to keep baby as safe as possible.

UPDATE: The AAP now recommends that Sleep Positioners no longer be used with newborns and infants.

UPDATE: It is now illegal to sell a drop side crib. The AAP gives current regulations and recommendations for buying a crib HERE.