Do you fall asleep flat on your back? No? Well it's not a very comfortable sleep position for most people. Not for many babies either.
But there is a very strong reason to teach your baby to fall asleep and sleep on his back. And that is, I'm sure you've heard that the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a lot lower that way.
Even if very few babies actually die from SIDS, most parents worry about.
Such an unbearable thought to find your baby in his crib one morning.. I can't even write the words!
So what can parents do to really minimize the risk of SIDS?
When the general recommendation came to let infants sleep on their backs, the incidence of SIDS fell everywhere. While there are other factors as well increasing the risk for SIDS, sleeping on the stomach is the highest risk factor your baby. So choose the right sleep position - back sleeping - and let your baby get used to it.
If you're worried that your baby will choke or get a flat head sleeping on his back,
click here for answers.
Recently it was found that a pacifier actually reduces the risk of SIDS. It is not clear why, but experts believe that the pacifier might make it easier for the baby to wake up, that breathing through the mouth is facilitated and that babies turn less to sleep on their stomachs when using a pacifier.
Be very careful not to place blankets of stuffed animals into the crib in a way so that the baby might pull them over his face.
Consider buying a sleeping bag, such as for example a Grobag, to eliminate the risk that the baby covers its face with a blanket if it is too cold to sleep without some kind of bedding.
Smoking both during pregnancy and near the baby after birth has a clear connection with SIDS. For example, smoking during pregnancy increases the risk for SIDS by 3 to 4 times and more the more the mother smokes.
Breastfeeding appears to lower the risk for SIDS. Different studies show somewhat contradictory results, but there seem to be a slightly lower risk among babies that are breastfed completely for at least four months.
But there is a very strong reason to teach your baby to fall asleep and sleep on his back. And that is, I'm sure you've heard that the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a lot lower that way.
