Did you ever wonder what sleep position is best for a newborn? Well, read on......The sleep position for your newborn is very important to reduce the risk if SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Do you worry about SIDS? Many parents do but here are some simple measures you can take to help prevent it.
1. First and most important sleep position is to place your newborn to sleep on their back. Studies
have shown that there is a higher risk of SIDS for infants who sleep on their
stomach.
2. Use a regulation mattress. This may be a no-brainer but use a store bought, safety approved, regulation crib or bassinet mattress. Do Not use anything homemade or a pillow in the bassinet just because you want to make it extra soft for your baby. 3. Don't let them get overheated. Studies have shown that babies that are overheated due to blankets, excessive clothing or unusually warm room temperatures can be at a higher risk of SIDS.
5. Do NOT expsose your baby to tobacco smoke. There has been proven evidence that if you smoke during pregnancy or smoke around your newborn, their risk of SIDS is higher. NOTE: Avoid products that "claim" to reduce the risk of SIDS. The majority of these products have NOT been tested for effectiveness and safety. Your best tools are knowledge and common sense.
If you are worried about the chance of your baby developing flat spots on the back of their head because of sleeping on his back, make sure that you provide supervised "tummy time" during the day while your baby is wide awake. Personally, I took all of these points into consideration during the day when they napped but as for the night time, each one of my kids slept with me until they were 3-4 months old and then Hallelujah! they went into the full size crib in their own room! You have to do what is comfortable for you. All I know is that my kids slept longer when they were against mommy.
Most doctor's are against this because of the main risk of rolling over onto and crushing or suffocating your baby. I don't know about you but I know several women besides myself that have slept with all of their children under 4 months old and never had a problem. Of course if you are a super deep sleeper, I would not suggest this but for the most part, just having had a baby, you get this "mom sense" and it just didn't happen, at least not for me. There were days that I woke up stiff and in pain because I would not move all night because I knew that I was sleeping with the baby.
NOTE: I would NOT suggest this for dads. They just don't have that "dad sense" when they are sleeping. At least my husband didn't. He could sleep through an earthquake. (this is only my opinion)
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