Sleeping Safely?
Top of your priority list as a parent is making sure your baby's never put at risk - and that includes when you lay her down to sleep at night. Read on for tips on how to protect her while she's dreaming...
Its natural to want to do everything you can to keep your baby safe and you instinctively want to check on her every other minute when she's sleeping. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot death, isn't an illness as such but a term used to describe the unexpected and unexplained death of a health baby. No-one knows what causes it and it's a worry for all parents. The number of babies that die as a result of cot death has fallen by 75% since 1991, with around 300 a year in the UK in 2007.
Cot deaths usually occur when the baby is asleep in a cot but it can occur in other periods of sleep, such as in a pram. It is uncommon in babies less than a month old but rises to a peak during the second month of life. The risk of cot death then reduces as your baby gets older. Nearly 90% of all cot deaths occur before 6 months and very few occur after a year.
There are a number of key steps you can take to protect your baby:
- Always put your baby to sleep on her back
- Never share a bed with your baby if you or your partner have been smoking, drinking, taking drugs or medication which make you drowsy or if you're feeling very tired.
- The safest place for your baby to sleep until she's six months is in her own cot or Moses basket in the same room as you.
- Always put your baby to sleep with her feet at the foot of the bed or basket so she can't slide or wriggle down under the covers.
- Don't let her get too hot. Buy a room thermometer and check it every night. Ideal temperature is 18°C (64°F).
- Don't put the cot next to a radiator, heater or fire, or in direct sunlight as this may make baby too hot.
- make sure your baby's cot mattress is clean and firm. There should be no gaps between the mattress and the end of the cot.
- Buy a new mattress for each new baby you have.
- Don't use duvets, quilts and pillows until your baby is over a year old. Instead use one or two thin blankets tucked in securely no higher than her chest.
- If you use a baby sleeping bag make sure it's designed for regular use and has no hood. It must be the right size so your baby won't slide into the bag. To prevent her getting too hot choose a tog rating to suit the temperature of your baby's nursery - 0.5 is suitable for summer and 2.5 ideal for the standard nursery temperature of 18°C.
- Don't smoke during pregnancy and don't let anyone smoke near your baby.
- Never sleep with your baby on a sofa.
- Never use electric blankets or hot water bottles.
- Never leave soft toys in the cot or Moses basket with her.
To find out more about helping your baby to sleep safely, contact the Foundation for Sudden Infant Deaths (FSID) at sids.org.uk.
