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SIDS
or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the sudden death of babies while they are sleeping. It occurs more in male babies than in female babies and the reason why it occurs is still unknown. But don’t let this trouble you, as with vigilance, you can keep your baby safe. A campaign called as “Back to Sleep” has been launched by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development with the aim to decrease and prevent SIDS.
The following tips have been given by the Institute to keep your baby safe.
In This Post:
1. Sleep on the back
NICHD recommends that babies that are put to sleep on the back instead of on their stomach or side have lesser chances of falling victim to SIDS. This was discovered after studies revealed the number of deaths that have occurred since 1992 were less than half when the baby was put down for night on his back.
2. Play while lying on tummy
When babies are allowed to play while lying on their stomach, they have stronger neck and head. The strength helps the baby to begin crawling and to move away if they find something suffocating them.
3. Soft surfaces
Keep your baby’s pillows and bed sheets hard, as it is possible that soft surfaces may suffocate them.
4. Toy time
Why are the toys lying in the crib? Keep toy time separate from bedtime. It is wonderful to let your baby play with toys but when it is time to sleep the soft toys that may suffocate them should be kept out of it.
5. Cool and comfortable
Your baby cannot talk yet or he would tell you that the way you bundle him up is not at all comfortable. There is no doubt that you are bundling up your baby to keep him warm but at the same time, you are also putting your baby to the risk of overheating. Dress him or her up in warm nightclothes and he or she will sleep well.
All parents do many things that, according to them may be to keep the baby safe. But many a time, even though the intention is good and is to protect the baby, it leads to the baby’s death. Therefore, do not overdo things in your desire to take care of the baby. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to be normal and let the child sleep well.
