SAFETY
Nothing is more important than the safety of your child. In order to ensure adequate precautions against Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) / Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) are taken, Louelle. strongly recommends parents and guardians familiarize themselves with the latest recommendations from relevant advisory bodies, such as:
Sids & Kids | an Australian NGO dedicated to the elimination of sudden and unexpected infant deaths during childhood.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | a United States government public health agency.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development | a United States government institute that funds and conducts research on topics related to the health of children.
Instead of using loose blankets for sleep, Riley at IU Health recommends sleep sacks to families of babies who are less than 1 year old. Loose blankets in the crib can cover your baby’s face and cause breathing problems. Sleep sacks help babies sleep safely by decreasing the chance of suffocation. Other benefits of using a sleep sack include:
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Sleep sacks provide a feeling of security—like when your baby was in the womb.
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Sleep sacks can be used for swaddling. Swaddling is a great way to soothe and calm a fussy baby. Swaddling can also improve sleep by preventing the startle reflex (sudden movements), which can cause your baby to wake up.
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Sleep sacks help babies maintain the correct body temperature without becoming overheated from too many blankets. Babies are at higher risk of sleep-related death if they become overheated. If you do not have a sleep sack, your baby will be warm enough in just footie pajamas.
For babies under 12 months, the CPSC, The American Academy of Pediatrics and The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development recommend removing pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskin, pillow-like stuffed toys and other pillow-like soft products from cribs.