I must say I'm very paranoid about SIDS so I was just wondering how everyone did the sleeping arrangements here. DS has a firm mattress, nothing in the crib and we don't have any smoking in the house or car. Right now he sleeps on his back on a light comforter, not much padding to it and a fitted sheet. Usually he goes to bed in fleece jammies. I don't like to turn the heat up too much. It's usually around 17 c. or 63 f. Can he go without any other blankets at that temp? Most of the time I have two light ones on top, just up above his tummy but I've read that's not so good either because he can move them up over his face later on. This sounds like a funny question since I know you are supposed to go on what I'd be comfortable with and add a blanket but I'm always cold! I have to have blankets year round, even summer not to mention usually having 2-3 shirts on in the winter. How can I tell if he's warm enough or does anyone have an idea on the blankets?

We pretty much break the rules on the SIDS recommendations.

In the crib we have:
1 stuffed bunny tucked in a corner
2-3 pacifiers
stack of clean blankets (fleece) folded up & in the corner

For sleeping, she's got her sleeper on (light cotton), she is swaddled in a light cotton flannel receiving blanket, and then we cover her with 1 fleece blanket. We don't tuck in the fleece blanket. Couple nights we did 2 fleece blankies cuz it was really cold. We cover her up to her neck. She is 12 weeks old & not rolling over or around yet, though she does break her arms free by around 4am. I'm sure when she starts moving around more, I'll re-evaluate the situation.

We keep the house at 71 degrees in the winter, but her room is a bit cooler.
Gayle

Hey,

I have a 8month old brother and my mum hasnt gone with the rules that are around in this centry. She has gone back the the rules that she was used to0, when she hd me and my sister (aged now 18, 16).
In my brothers cot my mum puts:
- Teddies around the top of the cot and one for him to cuddle.
- About 3/4 blankets on top of him or around him.
- Something hangin of the cot incase he wakes up (a sleepy song toy, whatever u call them lol)
- Has a plug in light what goes into the socket and is not very bright, we turn all the nights off at night except the plug in light.
- Cot is at the end of my mums bed, not to near and not to far.
- Has bottle ready and a nappy incase he wakes up.

Err thats about it i think. He's a good baby and hasnt moaned about it so far so i think he's ok. He does get cold easily though so thats why he has so many blankets. He has a teddy because he is a nightmare to get asleep and that singy thing because of that too.

But the only advice i can really give you is talk to different mums/family members and hear their views. I have lived with my mum since my brother has been born and he was bad when he was young but not he is 8 months hes got better and sleeps all the night. How old is your little one?

My little one is still in his bassinet. I have a fleece pillow, pretty big, on one side of the bassinet. It's tucked into the sides so it gives a bit of an incline. Then I put a fleece blanket over it so it kinda creates the idea of a sheet over it. Then I usually put him in a light sleeper cause alex heats up SO quickly. Then I take a small fleece blanketa dn wrap it arourd his lower body.

We have broken so many SIDS rules but I know for a fact DS will breath with his face covered. Some babies hold their breath. DS has a small childs pillow under his head. He is wrapped in a swaddle blanket so that prevents too much moving. Some times I put a blanket over him. If it does get down to 65. What about a sleep sack if you are worried? They are fleece "blankets" that will stay in place all night. You zip the baby in.

How can I tell if he's warm enough or does anyone have an idea on the blankets?


In order to tell if their too hot or too cold is to feel their tummy with your hand. Babies have poor circulation so their hands and feet usually tend to feel cold. If his tummies hot, he's hot...if it's cold he's cold.

I have a bumper a couple pacifiers and just started giving DD a blanket. She doesn't use it for warmth though it's for comfort.DD's kinda scary she is like a parakeet if she is fussy and you put a blankie or even her burp cloth on her head she calms down immediatly.she will rub it on her cheek but we check before bed and when hubby gets up to see if her mouth is cover and hasn't been so far she's 5 1/2 months.

My son is 9mths and from about 5mths on he has been in his own bed. He has his favorite blanket (the one that Nana Pat crocheted him) and his favorite teddy bear. There is a bumper around the outside and a sheet. He has to have his blanket and Mr. Crunchy (that is the bears name now since he has chewed all over it and it’s crunchy) to go to sleep.

My older son, who is now 3yrs old, had to have his face covered while he was sleeping. The rest of him could have been uncovered, but not his face.

DD is 7 months. We just have a crib matress with a fitted sheet in her crib. We used to put a light sleeper on her at night and cover her with a receiving blanket. She likes to "cuddle" with blankets and anything she can get her hands on, so I took the receiving blanket out of her crib when she started putting it up to her face to cuddle. We had the heat turned up at night so she wouldn't get too cold, but the pediatrician said that if it's too hot in the house, there is a greater risk of SIDS. Now we put her to sleep with a pair of fitted pajamas (we couldn't find long johns which were what was originally recommended but the tigher fitted light-weight pajamas work well) and socks under a blanket sleeper (the kind that zips up with the footies) and turn the heat down to where we're comfortable at night. I have read that to tell if they are hot or cold, to feel their back, but their stomach might work too. We had the bumper pads in her crib until about 6 months because the pediatrician said that between 6 and 9 months there is a greater chance of suffocation when they start to sleep deeper. She recommends putting them back in around 9 months, but I'm not sure her reasoning for that. I asked because I had heard that they can use them to climb out of the crib and we wanted to know at what point we should take them out. SIDS does not recommend bumper pads at all, but we have found that DD will get her legs and feet stuck between the bars, not to mention that the pacifier falls out of the crib onto the hardwood floor and wakes her up at night, so we needed them for her. She never pushed herself up against them to make us worry about suffocation or anything.

The pediatrician also told us that when they can start sitting, to lower the crib matress either all the way or to the 2nd to last setting for height since they can grab onto the bars and pull themselves up and over at that point if the matress is too high. Just thought I'd mention that too since it's not something that most people would think about at 6 months old.

My mom has been giving me advice on the SIDS situation since I had my baby, he's 3wks on Monday. A public health nurse came over and started taking EVERYTHING out of my crib! Nothing but the fitted sheet and a blanket on him because everything else was a SIDS risk. No swaddling either. I couldn't believe it and my mom made a fairly valid point. It made sense to me that SIDS babies must have other things wrong with them that doctors just don't pinpoint. I mean, when DS gets the blanket over his face, he turns his head where there is air passage. I've watched him many times, even though he is so young, I know that if he couldn't breathe he would turn his head until he can breathe comfortably. Watch your child, does he turn his head for comfort? MosNow, of course I won't cover him with tons of blankets, but I swaddle him, put a fleece blanket on him if he is cold (I check this with a finger or two to the back of his neck, if he's sweating he's too warm) and I have this bear that stays in his crib. I also have a comforter and another blanket in the corner and of course the cute bumpers. These will come out when he is able to move about the crib. As for now, he'll be fine.

A little note about the bumpers: When you are in the hospital with a newborn, do you realize those "cribs" they put the babies in are all plastic all the way around? They say bumpers block air from reaching the babies level so why don't the plastic walls on hospital cribs have holes in them? Lately it seems the rules for newborns Do's and Don'ts are changing for the hell of it, no valid reasons at all.

One more thing, I am so worried about having a baby with a flat head, so I lay him on his stomach during the day when I am supervising, another SIDS risk ignored.

You should not have any kind of extra padding for the child including too many blankets. Keep stuffed animals and especially pillows out of there!! there should be the matress covered with a sheet, the baby covered not above the shoulders with a blanket that is not too heavy and THATS IT!! Babies can roll and could land face down on a stuffed toy or extra blanket that was placed there and suffocate if they dont have the neck support just yet. I know it is fun to decorate the crib but when they baby is in there keep it to a bare minimum. Also check your babies crib daily for any choking hazards such as jewelry that may have fallen off you. Literally pull up the matress on it's side to make sure nothing is in there. One more thing, make sure the crib is not next to venician blinds. If so, Cut the cord in half or tie it around a hook that you can anchor to the wall. Keeping your babies sleep area safe is very important and I hope this helps you.

Actually, I just thought I'd share what I was reading about possible causes for SIDS. I'm in no way knocking how anyone keeps their cribs so please don't take offense. One theory is that the babies actually asphyxiate do to "rebreathing" not suffocation due to lack of air. Soft blankets and things can cause pockets around their mouths and while they are still getting air, they are getting air with high levels of carbon dioxide and little oxygen. I always thought they just couldn't breath, not that they could but just not enough oxygen. They do think that maybe certain babies are at risk more than others due to a part of the brain not fully developed. I can't remember the name of it but it's the part that is supposed to wake the baby up so that they know to move when their oxygen levels are low. They've apparently found in some babies that have died from SIDS that their brain was not fully developed in that area yet. There's tonnes more information on it but I can't post the website so you'll have to search it if you want.

Ethan still has just the sheet and a blanket in his crib. He does wear his blanket sleepers to bed. I never thought about putting a tight sleeper on underneath, that's a good idea. Lately I've just been putting his feet to the end of the crib and tucking his blanket in really tight under the mattress like I read somewhere but it doesn't seem to work very well. Most mornings I wake up and he's pulled it out anyway just by kicking. He seems to be warm enough with just one blanket so putting a pair of socks on and another sleeper on should be alright instead of the blanket. I'll try it tonight. Thanks!

Celestine, I saw something recently about the rebreathing theory, and the thing I saw said that the had decided that wasn't what the problem was. That just shows how many different theories there are about it (not that you are wrong!) That paper said that it had something to do with inhaling some type of bacteria. But they weren't sure what kind. I am paranoid about SIDS too, we have nothing in DS crib except him. He won't have anything to do with a blanket, and he does sleep on his belly, but he can roll over so there is nothing we can do about that. I am concerned about the bumpers too, because he tends to sleep in the corner of the crib, he can move himself too, almost crawling! From what I have always heard you have to take the bumpers out when they start pushing up anyway, and he can do that. I have never understood how, when they have no idea what causes SIDS that they can tell you how to prevent it. That just doesn't make any sense to me. My grandma lost a sister to SIDS that was a long long time ago, so it really scares me.

Sounds like you're doing everything right, at least according to the experts. If you keep the house at a comfortable temperature and dress your baby in light but warm clothing (shirt, pants, socks, etc), there's no need for a blanket. All you'll do is worry all night long that the baby has pulled the blanket up over his/her face, like I did LOL! I got smart and just dressed my son warmly (not too warm!) and left out all the blankets, animals, pillows, etc. He was fine after that.

You're doing a good job, try not to worry too much!

Amy

Some of You people are Playing with Fire! There should be absolutely Nothing in the Crib....not even the Bumpers. No Pillows No Blankets, No Stuffed Animals.......NOTHING.

This Isnt Just a SIDS Concern. It is just a plain old safety Issue! If you baby gets tangle up in a blanket the chances are they will not be able to get out. If they suffocate it is not SIDS....its just suffocation.

Just becuase you see that your baby turns their head or they can breathe when when a blanket is over their head. doesnt mean that they will always be able to do that. Why on earth would any of you want to take any risk whatsoever. ever heard of the saying Better safe then sorry?

The sleeping bags are a very good option, like someone already suggested, keeps baby warm and safe.

From what I read about SIDS is that a normal baby when they can't breath for whatever reason (blanket in their face, toy or low oxygen) will wake up and cry. A baby w/ SIDS, however, will NOT wake up and die. As someone mentioned it may have something to do w/ undeveloped brain, so if you can prevent their breathing being affected, you're taking the risk away.

Interestingly enough, I read couple of recent articles in medical journals that found that using pacifiers cuts the risk by 90%. They speculate that this is b/c the pacifier keeps the airway opened and gives baby little room to breath should he/she get their mouth blocked.

I'm also paranoid about SIDS so I have tried to stick as closely as I can to the guidelines given, though the 'ideal' room temperature of around 18C seems really cold to me.

I dress my 13 week old daughter in a vest (all in one outfit with short sleeves and no legs) and a baby gro (all in one outfit with long sleeves and enclosed feet), then cover her with a sheet and cellular blanket, making sure her face isn't covered. I hope this isn't too much, but she seems cosy without being too warm. Her hands get cold, but even if I cover them over she wriggles until she can get them free. I used to swaddle her, but now I just add an extra blanket if it's really cold. We were told in our parenting classes that a baby who is too cold will cry and let you know, but a baby that is too warm will just go into an even deeper sleep and it is possible that this may lead to SIDS.

I put her in the 'feet to foot' position (ie feet touching the bottom of the cot) so that she can't wriggle under the sheets and have heeded the advice not to put her in a hat as babies need for any excess heat to be able to escape via their heads.

I have been putting a cuddly toy in bed with her, but after reading some of your posts I have decided to take it out tonight. She's not really that bothered about it and if it is a risk to her health, I'd rather be safe than sorry. She's too precious to me to risk suffocating her.

Rebbie

I'm also paranoid about SIDS so I have tried to stick as closely as I can to the guidelines given, though the 'ideal' room temperature of around 18C seems really cold to me.


Rebbie

Actually it's kind of funny because I always thought it was a little chilly as well. We keep the room at 18, I have a temperature gauge in there lol, and even though it seems cool, he always seems to be warm. I usually put him to bed a couple hours before I go to sleep and I always check him when I go in. Even his little hands are toasty. They get cold out here in the day when it's warmer but they stay warm when he's sleeping. Go figure.

I still keep a blanket in there right now, I only put it to about his waist. Definitely coming out now as he's started sucking on the blankets and now pulls them into his mouth. I've never seen him do it in the crib, he uses his hands in there but I've caught him in the swing multiple times with the blanket over his mouth sleeping. I'm pretty sure he's warm enough anyway, last night he kicked the blanket right off and was just sleeping in his jammies anyway.

My DD is the opposite. Her hands are always freezing at night, but even if I tuck them under the covers when I peek in to watch her sleeping, she still gets them straight back out again, so I've stopped worrying about it. Her hands are usually warm-ish in the daytime.

Rebbie