After birth, every newborn in the hospital is kept in a crib or cradle but never in the same bed as the mother. This is done to avoid accidents in bed, ensure the safety of the infant and reduce chances of SIDS or sudden infant death syndrome.
However, once you are back home, it might be difficult for you to have a special sleeping arrangement for the baby, either due to lack of space or for the inconvenience it causes. This is one reason why many parents opt co-sleeping with infants, which means sleeping with your child in the same bed, room or a crib (or Moses basket) placed closed to the mother. In western countries, people do follow certain protocols while co-sleeping. However, in India, sharing your bed with an infant is way too common. We also hear about a lot of infant deaths happening due to bed-sharing in India. Here are few sleep-safe tips you should follow to keep your baby safe during sleep.
Even I was very concerned when I got my newborn home and was unable to install a baby bed or crib due to lack of space. With advice from my paediatrician and an antenatal coach, I started sharing my bed with my infant. Here are few important things they advised me to keep in mind while co-sleeping.
First, invest in a bigger bed. We changed from a queen-sized bed to a king-sized one few months before my delivery to ensure that three of us could sleep together. This left us with very less space in the bedroom, but a bigger bed was a priority.
Get a firm and portable baby bedding. This is important as an adult mattress might not give adequate back support to your baby s delicate back. So, before placing your baby on the bed, ensure that you put her bedding in place. Choose the firm ones and not the fancy foam ones.
Discuss with your partner about how you are going to position yourselves. We kept the baby between us as we both choose to be on the sides. With this kind of arrangement, both of you might be clinging to the edge all night, especially, when your baby starts to move and turn around. Be prepared for this as babies change their positions too often in sleep, which means you will have to adjust yourself accordingly. Read to know how many hours of sleep your baby needs.
Use different blankets for each one of you. If your baby is in the middle, then it is not feasible for you and your partner to use the same blanket. Use separate ones and keep a special baby blanket to cover your child. Make sure that you don t cover your baby while pulling your blanket up. This could lead to suffocation.
For the same reason don t keep your baby s head covered at night.
Avoid sleeping with your baby in your arms on the sofa, bean bag or an armchair. This can increase chances of a fall when you are in a deep sleep. Don t share the couch with your baby as she might get wedged between the cracks or cushions. Here are five reasons why your baby doesn t need a pillow.
Avoid going to bed if you are intoxicated. This could make you careless in bed, and you might end up harming your baby one way or the other.
Always keep a dim light on or have a night lamp placed right at your bed side.
If your bed isn t too big for both of you, ask your partner to sleep separately to make room for your baby.
While sleeping with your kid always sleep on your side facing your baby. Place your lower arm above your baby's head keep the other arm rested at her feet. Curl your knees up under his feet. This position helps to prevent you from rolling forwards or backwards and keep pillows away from your baby s head.
Don t make your toddler and infant sleep together unless it is unavoidable. It is better if each kid sleeps with one parent each to avoid mishaps in bed.
Never leave your infant unattended in bed, especially when she learns to roll over.
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