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While SIDS is something that probably every parent worries about, I don’t remember stressing out about it as much with Liam as I have with Caleb. Maybe it’s because of the breathing issues he has as a newborn. Or maybe it’s all the unknowns we have about his family medical history. Whatever the reason, I’ve found myself checking on Caleb while he’s sleeping pretty often, just to make sure he’s still breathing. Since October is SIDS and Infant Loss Awareness Month, I thought it would be a good idea to put together a list of some of our favorite products for safe sleep. While SIDS isn’t preventable and the cause is still unknown, there are still a lot of things you can do to try to reduce your risk.
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Sleep sacks and swaddles. It’s pretty standard nowadays to hear the message about keeping blankets, pillows and other soft things out of the crib. Those are too easy for a baby to get tangled up in and compromise their breathing. Using a sleep sack or swaddle helps your baby stay warm and cozy without the added risks. Some of our favorite sleep sacks include the Nested Bean sleep sack, the HALO sleep sack and the Gunapod.
Co-sleeper/bassinet. Room sharing can be incredibly helpful for both babies and mamas. Both of our boys slept in our room for the first several months. Since Caleb is in my room, I can hear him as soon as he starts to cry. I’m able to get to him faster and get him what he needs, whether it’s a bottle or if he just needs to be rocked back to sleep. When he was a newborn and was having his breathing issues, we were able to monitor whether he was in duress or not without having to get out of bed. Currently, Caleb sleeps in our room at night in this play yard. But there are some other great co-sleeper options out there, like the Nuna Sena Aire, Arms Reach co-sleeper and the HALO bassinet.
Baby monitor. I wrote a few months ago about how much we love having a video baby monitor. With Caleb’s breathing issues, having a monitor gave me a little bit of freedom to do other things around the house while still keeping an eye on Caleb. We love Babysense’s video monitor because it’s small and easy to pack up with us any time we travel. We also own their infant movement monitor for our crib. It works incredibly well to alert you as soon as your baby stops moving. If you want some peace of mind, this is definitely a purchase to consider.
Travel crib. We’ve been traveling quite a bit lately. When we have the room, we usually bring our play yard along since it’s what he sleeps in at night here at home too. We took the boys camping a couple times this fall. With camping, we didn’t really have the space for a traditional pack ‘n play or play yard. So instead, I picked up this travel bassinet to give Caleb a safe sleeping spot away from all our sleeping bags.
Firm mattress. Caleb naps in his crib and we’ll probably start to transition him to his room at night here pretty soon. A firm mattress is so important for safe sleep. If it’s too soft, the mattress could dip and make it harder for your baby to breathe. I really like this breathable, washable mattress from Newton because it also keeps your baby from getting overheated while they sleep.
What are some of the safe sleep products your family uses? Let me know below!
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