Your baby sleeping safely is a widely discussed topic that can not be talked about enough – safe is always better than sorry!

When parents bring a newborn home, safety is always the priority and as an experienced doula, I can vouch for this. I have watched countless new parents change their first diapers and witnessed how safe and gentle they are.

They tenderly remove their clothes, carefully unsnap the buttons, nervously shift their baby to and fro, almost as if they’re deactivating a bomb. They wipe so carefully and clean so cautiously, and never cease the apologizing.

At this point, I whisper to the new parents…

That baby crammed its way through your vagina! I think its going to be alright! We have a chuckle and the parents loosen up a bit.

However, there is no way to lighten the mood when unsafe sleeping leads to the unthinkable. In efforts to prevent the unthinkable from taking place, we want to make sure that you can access safe sleep guidelines for your baby!

These Safe Sleeping Guidelines go as follows:

• –Use a firm sleeping surface
• –Keep soft objects and any loose bedding away from the infant or the sleep area, as this will decrease the risk of SIDS, suffocation, strangulation, and entrapment
• –For the first year, or at least the first 6 months, t is recommended that infants sleep in the parent’s room in an area close to the parents’ bed, but on a firm surface that is specially designed for infants.
• –Avoid too many blankets or head coverings for infants while they sleep, as this can cause overheating.
• –Babies should sleep on their backs for every sleep
• –Breastfeeding is recommended
• –Perhaps offer a pacifier at both nap and bedtimes
• –Avoid smoke exposure during pregnancy and postpartum
• –Avoid alcohol and illicit drugs during pregnancy and postpartum
• –When pregnant, obtain regular prenatal care
• –Babies should be immunized in accordance with recommendations of the AAP and Centers of Disease and Control Prevention (CDC)
• –Avoid using home cardiorespiratory monitors as a tactic to reduce the risk of SIDS.
• –It is recommended to have supervised, awake tummy time in order to facilitate development and minimize the development of positional plagiocephaly.

Any questions? Chat with us here at Doulas of the Valley – conveniently serving your state of Arizona!