BACK TO SLEEP: Always put your baby on their back for every sleep - day and night - as the chance of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is particularly high for babies who are sometimes placed on their front or side. And don’t let your mum or mum-in-law tell you any different – while you or your siblings might have been tummy-sleepers as babes, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) launched the ‘Back to Sleep’ campaign in 1994 based on strong evidence that back-sleeping greatly reduces the risk of SIDS.
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BE ROOMIES: The safest place for your baby to sleep is in a cot or a Moses basket in the same room as you for at least the first six months, including during the day. “Infants should sleep in the parents’ room, close to the parents’ bed but on a separate surface (room sharing),” according to the AAP. “The infant’s crib, portable crib, play yard or bassinet should be placed in the parent’s bedroom for at least 6 months but preferably a year.”
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KEEP COOL: It is important to make sure that your baby’s room is not too hot or too cold. The chance of SIDS is higher in babies who get too hot. While international advice is to keep the room temperature between 16 and 20°C, this can be a challenge in the UAE. Experts recommend setting your AC to around 22°C (ensuring baby is out of the way of the direct air blast), putting babies in only two thin layers of clothing to sleep at night, and using a low-tog blanket or gro bag (around 0.5-1.5 tog).
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CO-SLEEP WITH CAUTION: If you choose to co-sleep, it’s important to do it as safely as possible – including keeping pillows, sheets, blankets or any other items that could obstruct your baby’s breathing or cause them to overheat away from your baby. Co-sleeping side cots – whereby the baby is adjacent and at the same level as mum or dad but on a separate surface – can be a good solution. Do not co-sleep if you or your partner smokes, has been drinking alcohol, is extremely tired, or if your baby was born premature or at a low weight. And absolutely no sleeping on a sofa or armchair with your baby – this has been shown to increase the risk of SIDS by up to 50 percent.
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CHOOSE A FIRM MATTRESS: The safest mattresses for your baby are firm and flat and protected by a waterproof cover. Rather than being breathable, it is more important that a mattress is waterproof or has a waterproof cover. A waterproof cover helps to stop bacteria building up inside the mattress so there is less risk of infection, which may increase the risk of SIDS. Mattresses should be in good condition and both firm and flat, with no raised or cushioned areas. Cover it with a fitted sheet that does not run the risk of slipping out of place like a flat sheet might.
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DON’T SHUN THE PACIFIER: While many parents (and in-laws) despise the pacifier – aka the ‘dummy’ or ‘binky’ - research suggests that not only can they help babies to settle, but using a pacifier when putting a baby down to sleep could actually reduce the risk of SIDS. However it is advised to wait until after breastfeeding is established before introducing a pacifier – and be aware that they can become troublesome sleep crutches for children as they get older.
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DITCH THE DETAILS: It’s tempting to stuff your child’s sleeping area with adorable teddies and cosy blankets, but they represent a real risk to young babies due to the risk of suffocation. The Lullaby Trust advises keeping the baby sleep environment as bare as possible, avoiding sleep pods or nests, pillows, duvets or thick bedding, cot bumpers, hammocks and sleep positioners.
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BREASTFEED IF POSSIBLE: Breastfeeding lowers the risk of SIDS. Breastfeeding for at least two months halves the risk of SIDS but the longer you can continue the more protection it will give your baby. “Unless contraindicated, mothers should breastfeed exclusively or feed with expressed milk (ie, not offer any formula or other nonhuman milk-based supplements) for 6 months, in alignment with recommendations of the AAP.”
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