Sleep is essential for all humans to be able to operate on a day to day basis.
But parents with small babies know there are many nights where sleep doesn’t come easy, if at all; crying babies are just part of parenthood, especially in the early years.
But the problem is that some parents may feel inclined to put their infant in the bed with them when they wake in the middle of the night in an effort to not only console their child, but also allow the adult to get some much needed rest.
However, putting an infant in the bed with adults creates a dangerous scenario. Mississippi News Now reports that in the past three weeks, there have been six infant deaths associated with dangerous sleeping conditions in this state.
According to the news report, an infant can suffocate in as little as five minutes when they sleep in a bed with their parents.
In order to protect small children, experts recommend laying infants on their backs in a crib with no objects within the crib, not even a blanket, pillow or toys. The news report states that the blanket could potentially be kicked up over the child’s head, while pillows and toys create choking hazards.
Instead of a blanket consider dressing the child in some sort of sleeper apparel.
Additionally secondary caregivers should be advised not to place the child on their stomach while sleeping, which could create an 18 percent increase in the likelihood of a child succumbing to sudden infant death syndrome, according to healthychildren.org. However, when a child is awake and supervised, time on their stomach is encouraged because it assists with the development of neck and other muscle strength.
If the use of a pacifier is considered, don’t use one with a cord or other objects attached that could pose a choking or strangulation hazard.
Protecting infants from these dangers will give them a great start in becoming a rambunctious addition to the household.