Sweet Dreams Baby

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Why I’ll Lie With My Son To Fall Asleep For As Long As He Needs Me To - Raised Good Have you been told not to lay with your children as they fall asleep? Me too! Here's why I ignore the advice and continue to lay by my son's side.

Co-sleeping: Celebrating families that share a bed Sharing the wisdom of fathers and mothers who co-sleep – in their own words

Some nights are just so....

Happy dreams

Happy Easter

Rooting and Sucking Reflex

The rooting reflex is one of the most well-known of all the newborn reflexes. It helps baby find milk so when you see your newborn rooting to suck, hunger is a likely reason.
But not always.
Yes, like everything baby, it can be a little more complicated than that.
Newborns also root and suck for a few other reasons. Namely, for comfort.
Sucking is also baby’s attempt to self-soothe in times of stress and discomfort, such as overtiredness, overstimulation or gas pains.
While it’s tempting to soothe baby by feeding and allowing them to suck, there are sadly a few issues that can come with this. I know, I know, we just want to love and comfort our babies…We want to soothe and calm our babies. A comfort feed can do just that, right?

The rooting reflex is part of the vital milk finding strategy
Newborns are born with several reflexes – automatic responses to certain stimuli – that are vital to their healthy survival.
*
* The grasp reflex – touch to palm stimulates fingers to close into a fist
* The stepping reflex – touch to feet when held standing stimulates baby to step
* The startle or ‘Moro’ reflex – any sudden change in the environment will have your newborn throwing her head back, flailing arms and legs about and clenching fists – think startled starfish. It’s now thought to be redundant in modern man and a remnant of our tree-swinging days, helping baby cling onto mom.
Then there’s the suck reflex and the rooting reflex. Combined, these are essential in baby’s ability to find milk:
*
* a touch to the corner of your newborn’s mouth will stimulate her to turn her head looking for milk – the rooting reflex
* on finding the source of the milk, a touch to the roof to the mouth (from the ni**le or bottle teat) will initiate sucking – the suck reflex
Alongside the suck and rooting reflex is a hand-to-mouth reflex. For this reason, you may see your newborn suck on their own fingers or hands if rooting and sucking and they can’t find the milk bar.

But also because baby’s root and suck for other reasons other than nutrition.
When does the rooting reflex disappear
Although the rooting reflex is present for much of the newborn phase (often termed the 4th trimester) your baby will start to consciously (as well as automatically) turn her head towards the breast or bottle earlier, at around a month old. So at this point, she’ll start to try to adjust and maneuver her head a little to aid the feeding process.

So by the time a newborn is 6-8 weeks old, rooting to suck isn’t only a sign of hunger. Voluntary sucking and rooting may be a sign that baby is tired, overstimulated or in discomfort.
At around 3-4 months old, the rooting reflex will start to disappear. So from this point on, all rooting will be entirely voluntary.
The issue with comfort feeding
So, if you see your baby rooting to suck or sucking and baby is over the age of 6 weeks, it’s important to establish if hunger is really the cause, before feeding.
Before explaining how to do this, you need to know why this is important.
So, why the ‘watch out’ and ‘beware’ when it comes to a comfort feed?
Comfort feeding puts baby at risk of ‘digestive overload’ – it can, quite simply, overload your baby’s digestive system.
The stomach of a newborn is small; it can only hold so much. So although babies do need to feed often, they can also only feed so much and so often.
There needs to be enough time for the stomach enzymes to do their job before milk passes into the gut.
>> Feeding your newborn too soon after the last feed, when baby is not hungry, means their stomach may still be rather full.
>> Semi-digested milk is forced into the gut too early.
>> Undigested fats and lactose (the main milk sugar) ferment in the gut causing gas
>> Gas distends the abdomen causing discomfort and pain
This is a similar kind of discomfort your baby would experience if suffering from an imbalance of gut bacteria (not uncommon in babies) or if sensitive to something in the milk they’re drinking. So dairy, if formula-fed, or any food if breastfed – but dairy is also the most common for breastfed babies.

The first step if baby suffers from gas pain, or is particularly colicky or gassy: avoid comfort feeding and see if it helps.
A full tummy, taking on even more milk, also puts extra pressure on the esophageal sphincter, the valve designed to keep stomach contents in the stomach. This extra pressure means this valve is more likely to open leaving baby liable to excess spit-up and acid reflux burn.
The first step if baby is spitting up lots of milk and/or is in pain when doing so: avoid comfort feeding and see if it helps.

Bottom line: if your newborn is upset, fussy or gassy, a ‘comfort’ feed may only make things worse
So, this post is about the importance of figuring out whether baby is seeking comfort, rather than milk, in order to avoid comfort feeding.
Rooting to suck: as a hunger cue
Hunger is what the rooting reflex and rooting to suck are best known for. Rooting is an ‘active’ hunger cue. If you can spot those early hunger cues and then baby starts to root, then this is a good sign that your newborn is hungry, rather than anything else.

Early baby hunger cues
* making sucking noises
* trying to suck on anything in the vicinity (lips, tongue, hands, fingers, toes, your finger etc)
* licking and smacking lips
* opening and closing mouth (think goldfish)
Active Baby Hunger Cues
* showing rooting reflex/rooting to suck (turning head, opening mouth and sucking when cheek stroked)
* trying to get to the breast/get into feeding position
* launching towards the breast (ni**le diving)
* wriggling and squirming
* older babies may also hit mom/whoever is carrying her on the arm or headbutt the chest
* starting to fuss with some sounds or cries
* breathing fast

Late Baby Hunger Cues
* moving head frantically from side to side in search of a ni**le!
* turning bright red
* crying
Rooting to suck: as a tiredness and overstimulation cue
Small babies can only stay awake a short while before needing to sleep. Likewise, a newborn can only take so much stimulation before becoming overstimulated.

Tiredness and stimulation pretty much lead to the same destination; the need to take a break.
Key to avoiding your baby becoming overtired (because you really do want to avoid this) or overstimulated is to spot the early stress signals.
Early stress signals
Rooting to suck and sucking in babies 6+ weeks old is one of these early stress signals as baby attempts to calm and soothe herself (self-soothe).

You may also see your baby attempt other self-soothing tactics:
* curl into the fetal position
* become very still
Other early stress signals include:
* yawning
* rubbing eyes and ears (in older babies)
* lose interest in surroundings
* not want to hold eye contact
* frown or knot eyebrows
* clench fists or clasp hands together
* straighten legs and generally look less relaxed
* becoming clingy
Late stress signals
Eventually, your baby’s body will go into defensive mode and react with a fight-or-flight response, releasing the stress hormones cortisol and adrenalin. This is baby’s way of coping with the overstimulation and/or overtiredness. You’ll see a lot of frantic, jerky movements and other signs of tension. (Full detailed description of tiredness and overstimulation baby cues here.)
Rooting to suck: as a symptom of gut pain
Babies are naturally gassy. They often swallow extra air when feeding and also often experience abdominal pain due to gas produced in the gut.
An imbalance of gut bacteria is often the cause; research has shown that gassy babies that cry a lot have too many bad bacteria and too few good ones. This leads to more gas being released in the gut.

Comfort feeding and over-feeding can also lead to excess gas. (Already a hint at the issue with comfort feeding – more on this later.)
To read more about the causes of and remedies for baby producing extra gas in the gut, this link will jump you straight to the relevant section in the gassy baby post.
Baby cues for discomfort and pain in the gut
Your baby will be fussy and generally irritable, and show tension in her body and face

* flail arms and legs
* clench fists – as in the photo above
* grimace
* be red-faced
As well as try to try to alleviate the discomfort and self-soothe:
* curl into fetal position
* arch back and neck
* suck or root to suck
Yet another reason your baby may be sucking or rooting to suck, other than for hunger…
Deciphering your baby’s cues by understanding their cries
In conjunction with tuning in to your baby’s body language,you need to listen to what your baby is ‘saying’.

If you listen hard, you’ll notice that your baby has a full repertoire of different sounds or cries (before reaching full-on meltdown mode when sounds pretty simiilar whatever the issue).
By tuning into these cries you will soon be able to distinguish a hungry cry from others.
Priscilla Dunstan’s ‘universal language of newborn babies’ makes this a lot easier. She has identified 5 distinct cries as follows:
* Neh = “I’m hungry”
* Eh = “I need to burp”
* Eair = “I have lower gas pain”
* Heh = “I’m experiencing discomfort”
* Owh = “I’m sleepy”So, if it’s an ‘eh’ you can hear, it’s trapped wind.
* If it’s an ‘eair’ you can hear, it’s a more serious gas issue lower down.
* While if you hear ‘neh’ it’s hunger.
Tips for avoiding comfort feeding
1 – Learn your baby’s cues
* As above, observe your baby carefully and listen out for those sounds so you can understand exactly what your baby is trying to tell you. All babies are different so try to spot what hunger cues look like for your baby. Same with the other baby cues.
*
* But at around 6-8 weeks, babies also want to suck for another important reason: comfort.
* *Hand sucking, finger sucking and rooting around in order to suck is not just a hunger cue in older newborns, 6+ weeks old, but a desire for comfort. It’s your baby trying to self-soothe.*
* Your baby could be seeking comfort due to gas pains or maybe trying to self-soothe in response to tiredness and overstimulation.

Time for snuggles and cuddles – but not for comfort feeding! Comfort feeding can lead to digestive overload, only making baby more uncomfortable.
Only feed baby if hungry. So learn those baby cues.
Try to relieve any discomfort in another way. Try the 5s’s or one of these winning calming strategies.

Finally, look out for the chewing motion with tongue sticking out and don’t mistake it for Very biologically normal. The reality is, humans are designed to sleep in two segments at night. Until the industrial revolution, it was normal to sleep for a few hours, wake up for a couple of hours, during which people talked, made love, added fuel to the fire, etc. This is mentioned in old books, like Les Miserable were it is referred to as First Sleep and Second Sleep. In the convent, the nuns have choir practice and prayers during this time. Anyway, as normal as it is, it does not fit into our culture. I suggest you look at his sleep as a whole. How much does he get during the whole day? Perhaps shorter naps or later bedtime would help. When he does wake at 4:30 am, what worked for mine was "playing dead". I did not talk or respond in any way. If they tried to crawl off the bed I help onto a leg or "spooned" them, but ignored any protests. Consistency for a few days worked well with several of my kids. The waking to nurse every couple of hours is normal.

Beyond amazing support

Top 10 Reasons Parents Hire An Overnight Doula Bringing home a newborn baby, or babies if you're blessed with more than one precious babe, is one of the most exciting and yet stressful time in a parent's journey, most especially if this is the first child. Now if you...

Parental Touch Reduces Pain Responses in Babies' Brains - Neuroscience News Skin-to-skin contact between a parent and newborn reduces how strongly a baby's brain responds to pain.

So cute

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New Blog on my website
https://birth-bythedoulaway.ca
Winter Solstice
Much love everyone

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Babies more than ever need to be nurtured and loved, in these times of uncertainty and with the current world pandemic, babies are being denied the crucial interaction of being able to recognize faces. As humans, being able to feel safe starts there for babies and for all humans.

Great read

Can You Spoil A Baby? Don’t worry about “spoiling a baby.” It cannot be done!New parents are often told not to “spoil the baby.” Some people envision “little emperors” demanding their way, with parents running around like servants. How undignified. True, people who f

Great read

What is the difference between normal and excessive night waking? | Possums for parents with babies ™ - Official Site Reflux, colic, gas, lactose, or oral tie concerns? Join PIPPS parents for hours of short videos and two whole written guides about these and many other topics, for dealing with problems and making your life with baby as enjoyable as possible.

.world with but I feel it and could not have written it any better myself ! Plus COVID has had a huge impact on how mothers and babies have been seen and released efficiently!
• • • • • • •
“Tongue ties f**king suck! This whole experience with ties and frenectomy has sucked.

It’s literally taken the life out of me. It’s mentally overloaded and overwhelmed me. It’s frustrated me. It’s drained my bank account by thousands, and it’s seen me spend most days sitting on my couch like this 👆🏻uncontrollably crying; tears of defeat, tears of exhaustion as I continue to try and breastfeed my baby.

Throughout this process it’s been so encouraging hearing other mums stories of undergoing a frenectomy and their babies latching properly straight away, but that’s not been the case for us. I know it can take time, and other mums have shared this too, but I guess I was just hoping we’d be one of the lucky ones where we’d see that improvement straight away.

My lactation consultant said to be prepared for 6 weeks of retraining. 6 weeks! It sounds like a lifetime, but then again I know even babies without ties need this long to learn. I’m trying to remind myself that although it’s hard we’ll get through it, we always do. But I’m also reminding myself it’s ok to feel it all, to process my emotions because although some people are going through a lot worse, I’m going through this and it’s still pretty f**king hard.

So whatever you’re going through right now, no matter how big or small it might be remember it’s real for you and you’re allowed to feel however you feel; angry, upset, frustrated. Feel it all, process those emotions and remember you’re not alone.”

Did your babe suffer from a tongue or lip tie? Comment below and share your support for the mamas and babes who might just be in the midst of their own journey.


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Introducing solid foods

Part I of the Starting Solids Series

In a few weeks, you’ll likely be sent home from your baby’s 6-month well-baby checkup with a blessing from your pediatrician to go forth and “start solids.” Yay, fun!

You’ll go home and realize that you have NO idea what the hell you’re doing. I mean, shouldn’t the doctor give you an instruction manual — or something!?

The bad news is … there is no official manual for this endeavor. The good news is, it doesn’t really matter!
When to Start
• Breastfed babies: 6 months (give or take)
• Formula-fed babies: 5 to 6 months (or, as soon as readiness cues are given, read below)
• *Since formula-fed babies are not routinely exposed to a variety of flavors and smells, they are encouraged to start solids a little earlier in order to maximize flavor exposure during the first-year-window-of-food-acceptance-opportunity-thing (more below).
These are general rules of thumb; of course, there are always exceptions. If you started early or want to wait a little longer (but not too long), it’s all good. Pediatricians are all over the board on this as well – some will recommend starting solids as soon as four months, especially the old-timers.

Readiness Cues

You can start on the earlier end (ie, closer to 4 months) if your baby is showing signs of readiness. These include:
• Sitting up/holding her head up (do you eat lying down? Me neither.)
• Reaching for and showing interest in your food
• Being able to pick up a small item with her pointer finger and thumb and put it in her mouth
While your own mother may have started feeding you on rice cereal as early as six weeks (“and you turned out just fine!”), there’s good reason to wait as long as you have:

1. Maturity of the digestive system

Between four and seven months, small spaces in a baby’s intestinal lining close completely and the digestive tract becomes more selective about what gets through. Before the intestinal lining properly closes, it’s possible (in theory) for potentially allergenic food molecules to enter the bloodstream. Once food molecules are in the blood, the immune system may produce antibodies to that food, creating a [preventable] food allergy.

2. Tongue-thrust reflex

The tongue-thrust reflex helps prevent babies from choking. This reflex causes the tongue to push food out of the mouth, rather than back into the mouth. From 4-6 months, this reflex gradually diminishes, giving that spoonful of sweet potatoes a fighting chance of making it through.

Months 6-12, at a glance

In the early months, the concept of starting solids really just means augmenting your baby’s regular milk or formula with food. Over the course of this half year, he will naturally decrease his milk/formula intake as he begins to receive sufficient caloric intake from solid foods. Only toward the end of his first year will you notice him eating in patterns more similar to yours (eating three regular meals a day, getting milk/formula as needed).

For simplicity’s sake, let’s divide this into four not-so-distinct phases:

1. The Exploratory Phase: the first month (Month 6, or whenever you start[ed])

This is a fun time of exploring new flavors, textures, and smells. We’re also getting used to sitting in a high chair and getting acquainted with bowls, bibs, and other appurtenances. Don’t expect your baby to get any significant calories from food during this phase; this first month is really just an intro. For the most part, he will continue to consume the same amount of milk or formula as before (sorry, b***s, you’re not off the hook yet).

2. Flavor Immersion: 7-9 months

During this phase, we’ll move to a regular, 3x-a-day meal schedule as baby starts consuming larger quantities of food. We're focusing on variety and adoption of healthy foods by repetition (more on this later). We’ll also introduce a sippy cup during this phase.

3. Finger Feeding: 10-12 months

Baby should begin self-feeding during this phase, if he hasn’t already. In this phase, we focus on hand-held foods that can be self-administered. You can begin to introduce utensils if you think your babe is ready. He should be eating a wide variety of foods by this time. Breastfeeding (or bottle feeding) will occur less frequently.

4. Regular Eating: 12 months +

By 12 months, your baby should be eating three regular meals a day, just like you, and snacking as needed. By this point, you’ll want him to be completely weaned off the bottle, if he’s not already. Nursing moms will be breastfeeding less frequently, as baby is deriving more and more calories from food.

Choosing Your Approach: Baby Food vs. Baby Led Weaning

Traditionally, most Americans start by feeding baby food, which is food that’s been pureed into mush: sweet potatoes, bananas, rice cereal, etc. You can easily make these foods at home or you can buy them at the store. Store-bought baby foods are usually classified into three main categories: Stage 1 is a thin puree, Stage 2 is a little thicker, and Stage 3 usually contains chunks-of-stuff. Babies are typically spoon-fed for several months until they are able to feed themselves.

Another approach that’s becoming more popular as of late is called “Baby Led Weaning” (BLW, for short). Don’t let the fancy name confuse you. In a nutshell, baby-led weaning simply means that you bypass the spoon-feeding-of-purees stage and allow your baby to self-feed finger foods as his motor skills allow him.

There are pros and cons to each.

The big advantage to feeding baby food is that you can puree just about anything Meaning… you have leftover carrots, hamburger, and broccoli from dinner? Great, throw it in the blender annnnd… done. You can expose your baby to a wider variety of foods using purees. In fact, you can whip up anything you can dream up. With BLW, you have to feed foods that your baby can actually grab and chew (gum?).

On the flipside, the advantage to BLW is that you don’t have to worry about buying, making, (or containing, storing, freezing…) baby food (though you may be steaming a lot of fruits and veggies), since you are simply feeding her normal table food. This will indeed simplify your life. You also don’t have to spoon-feed your baby at every meal, which can be frustrating, messy, and time consuming. Also, BLW babies fine-tune their motor skills a bit earlier, with many learning to use utensils by the 12-month mark,both have pros and cons. There is no “superior method,” so just do what works best for you and your family.)
Point being: Your baby will probably be the one who decides how they want to eat. Your best bet is to follow her lead. Try a little of both. And by the way, it’s not an all-or-nothing thing, meaning – you don’t have to rigidly subscribe to one approach or the other.

The Importance of Months 6-12

Your Job: Maximizing the "Try Anything" Window

There is a natural window of opportunity that exists during infancy; let’s call it the “try anything” window. It goes something like this: during infancy (before the second year of life), babies are naturally willing to taste and adopt new flavors, textures, and smells. Studies have shown that the earlier (and more often) a baby is exposed to a new food, the more likely he is to accept it in the long-term.

However, once toddlerhood begins, the “neophobic response” kicks in and kids suddenly become averse to new foods. In fact, even a slight variation of a familiar food (real apples vs. applesauce, for example) can result in rejection. Slam. This aversion peaks around 18 months, and during this time your child may even reject foods she previously accepted (crrrap, and you were doing so good!). It alwaaaays happens right around the time you are bragging to all your friends about how much your baby looooves vegetables – ha!

Why is this? Evolution, maybe: think back to our ancestors living in the woods. It would be quite dangerous, from an evolutionary perspective, for a toddling child to walk around the forest sampling new things (poisonous mushrooms, berries, etc.). Thus, the aversion to new flavors in toddlerhood may be a survival mechanism [who knows].

The bottom line is that you need to take full advantage of the first year to expose your child to as many flavors and textures as possible before this window closes. The mistake a lot of parents make is to introduce a small handful of easy (and usually bland) foods in the first year. When toddlerhood comes around and parents decide to expand their palate a bit, the new foods are promptly rejected without a second look.
"Children introduced to lumpy solids after the age of 9 months [as opposed to before] were reported as having more feeding problems at 7 years (e.g., food refusal and food 'fussiness')" (Coulthard, Harris, Emmett & Northstone, 2009).
On this matter, if you snooze, you lose. If you want to reduce picky-eater-ness in your child, throw as many flavors and textures at them during the first year as you can.

So very amazing

''All the eggs a woman will ever carry form in her ovaries while she is a four month old fetus in the womb of her mother.

This means our cellular life as an egg begins in the womb of our grandmother.

Each of us spent five months in our grandmother's womb, and she in turn formed in the womb of her grandmother.

We vibrate to the rhythm of our mother's blood before she herself is born, and this pulse is the thread of blood that runs all the way back through the grandmothers to the first mother.''
~ Layne Redmond, When The Drummers Were Women

Mara Berendt Friedman New Moon Visions Sacred Art

a sids and kids publication
safe sleeping
a guide to assist sleeping your baby safely
‘Sleep Safe, My Baby’

SIDS anD KIDS Safe SleepIng MeSSageS:
Six ways to sleep baby safely and to reduce the risk of sudden unexpected death in infancy:

Sleep baby on the back from birth, not on the tummy or side
Sleep baby with head and face uncovered
Keep baby smoke free before birth and after
Provide a Safe Sleeping Environment night and day
Sleep baby in their own safe sleeping place in the same room
as an adult care-giver for the
first six to twelve months
Breastfeed baby


Babies spend a lot of their time sleeping. Some sleeping arrangements are not safe. They can increase the risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) including SIDS and fatal sleeping accidents. SIDS remains the most common category of deaths between one month and one year of age.
Research has found some important ways to reduce the risk of sudden infant death and create a safe sleeping environment for babies. This brochure provides information to help you create a safe sleeping environment for your baby.
What is Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy?
SUDI is the sudden, unexpected death of an infant
in which the cause is not immediately obvious. SUDI includes Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and fatal sleeping accidents. When the term SIDS is used for a baby death, no known cause was found to explain the death after a thorough investigation. The term SUDI is used when investigations after the death have shown factors that may have contributed
to the death, eg. an infection.
Since the Reducing the Risk of SIDS program was introduced in Australia in 1991, sudden infant deaths have been significantly reduced. However,this reduction
has not been as equally successful in all communities in Australia.
faCT
Many of the risk factors for SUDI are common to SIDS
Many of the risk factors for SUDI
are common to SIDS and fatal sleeping accidents, therefore safe sleeping strategies will target all causes of SUDI. The risk of SUDI can be reduced by following some simple advice for taking care of baby.

How to reduce the risk of sudden unexpected infant death
Sleep baby on the back from birth, not on the tummy or side
Sleeping on the back reduces the risk of SUDI. The chance of babies dying suddenly and unexpectedly is greater if they sleep on their tummies or sides. Put your baby on the back to sleep, from birth, on a firm, flat surface. If your midwife, nurse or doctor advises you to use another sleep position for your baby, eg. baby has
a particular medical condition, make sure the reason is fully explained to you and ask your doctor for a written explanation. These situations are very rare.
Healthy babies placed to sleep on the back are less likely to choke on vomit than tummy sleeping infants.
If you are unsure about the best way to sleep your baby, speak with your midwife, nurse or doctor.
In the back position the upper respiratory airways are above the oesophagus (digestive tract), therefore regurgitated milk can
be easily swallowed
and aspiration into the
respiratory tract avoided.
When baby is placed on there
tummy the digestive tract
sits above the baby’s upper
airways. If baby regurgitates
or vomits milk or fluid, these
substances are more likely
to be inhaled into the baby’s airway and lungs.
1

Tummy play is important and safe for babies when they are awake and an adult is present, but don’t put baby on the tummy to sleep. Remember ‘back to sleep, tummy to play, sit up to watch the world.’
Babysitters and others who care for your baby may not know that tummy or side sleeping increases the risk of SUDI. Explain this to them before you leave your baby in their care.
Babies over the age of 4 months can usually turn over in the cot. These babies may be placed in a safe baby sleeping bag (i.e. fitted neck and arm holes, and no hood). Put them on the back but let them find their own sleeping position. The risk of sudden infant death in babies over six months is extremely low.
ReMeMBeR
Back to sleep, tummy to play, sit up to watch the world

Sleep baby with head and face uncovered
Your baby’s face and head needs to stay uncovered during sleep as this reduces the risk of SUDI. A good way to do this is to put baby’s feet at the bottom of the cot so that baby can’t slip down under the bedding.
You might decide not to use blankets at all and instead, use a safe baby sleeping bag: one with fitted neck and arm holes and no hood. Keep the head uncovered when indoors or in a car: no head coverings including bonnets, beanies, hats or hooded clothing.
When baby is placed to sleep check that:
• baby’s feet are positioned at the bottom of the cot
• bedding is tucked in securely, is not loose, or place baby in a safe baby sleeping bag
• head coverings are removed before baby is placed for sleep
• there are no doonas, loose bedding or fabric, pillows, lambswool, bumpers or soft toys in the cot
2
ReMeMBeR
Keep baby,s head and face uncovered

Keep baby smoke free before birth and after
Cigarette smoke harms babies before birth and after. This includes smoke from to***co and ma*****na. Parents who smoke during pregnancy and after the baby is born increase the risk of sudden infant death for their baby. In fact, if a mother smokes during pregnancy the risk of sudden infant death is approximately 4 times greater compared to the risk for non-smokers. If the father smokes, the risk of sudden infant death is
almost double.
There is an increased risk of SUDI if parents are smokers, even if they smoke outside, away from the baby. If mothers who are smokers sleep in the same bed with their babies the risk of sudden infant death is greatly increased. The reasons for this are not clear. However, we do know that being a non-smoker or smoking less will reduce the risk for your baby.
Try not to let anyone smoke near your baby
• Keep the car, the home and anywhere else your baby spends time, a smoke free zone.

4
How to sleep babies safely:
• Safe cot
• Safe mattress
• Safe bedding
• Safe sleeping place night and day

Safe mattress - Is the cot mattress the right size
for the cot and is it firm, flat and clean?
A baby can get wedged in gaps between the mattress and the cot sides. This is especially dangerous if their face is trapped and covered, or their neck is restricted in any way. Make sure there is no more than 20mm (less than 1 inch) gap between the mattress and the cot sides and ends. Remove plastic packaging from the mattress.
Provide a Safe Sleeping Environment night and day

Always make sure the waterproof mattress protector is strong, not torn, and a tight fit. The mattress should be firm, clean and flat (not tilted or elevated). Elevating the head of a cot does not improve reflux for babies under 12 months of age, furthermore, elevating the head of the cot increases the risk of SUDI. See the SIDS and Kids information statement: ‘Reflux’ for further information.
A pillow, cushion or beanbag is not a safe mattress.
In portable or ‘porta’ cots use the firm, clean and well- fitting mattress that is supplied with the portable cot. Don’t add additional padding under or over the mattress or an additional mattress. The baby can get trapped in gaps created and this is extremely dangerous.

Safe bedding - Is the bedding safe?
Remove pillows, doonas, loose bedding or fabric, lambs wool, bumpers and soft toys from the cot.
Soft and puffy bedding in the cot is unnecessary and may cover your baby’s face and obstruct baby’s breathing. SIDS and Kids information statements: ‘Pillows’ and ‘Soft Toys’ for further information.
If you wrap your baby, consider baby’s stage of development. Leave arms free once the startle reflex disappears around 3 months. Discontinue the use of
a wrap when baby can roll from back to tummy and to back again. The wrap may prevent an older baby who has turned onto their tummy from returning to the back position. See the SIDS and Kids information statement: ‘Wrapping Babies’ and ‘Safe Wrapping Brochure’ for further information.

Safe Sleeping place night and day
The following are things to look out for and avoid when your baby sleeps at night and during the day:
• Never leave baby unattended on an adult bed or bunk bed
• Waterbeds, beanbags, couches, pillows and cushions are not safe for babies
• Avoid falling asleep with the baby on a couch, sofa or chair
• Keep the cot away from hanging cords such as blinds, curtains, electrical appliances or mobiles
• Keep heaters or electrical appliances well away from cots
• Never use electric blankets, hot water bottles or wheat bags for babies
• For daytime naps, safety of the baby’s sleep environment is a priority over sharing the same room
Sleep baby in their own Safe Sleeping place in the same room as an adult care- giver for the first six to twelve months
Room-sharing with a baby has been shown to reduce the risk of SUDI. SIDS and Kids recommends sleeping baby in their own sleeping place in the same room as an adult care-giver for the first six to twelve months.
A “care-giver” is used in this instance to include any adult member of the family or an adult carer such as a babysitter, nanny or childcare worker.
Placing a baby on their back and keeping them under supervision is equally important for night-time and daytime sleeps.
Room-sharing is recommended for all babies, although the room where baby sleeps should be kept smoke free.
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Parents who are smokers are encouraged to room-share with their baby (but not share the same sleep surface with their baby), as long as the room that baby sleeps in is kept smoke free.
Parents are not expected to observe baby constantly. If baby is sleeping in a separate room check baby regularly to ensure the baby remains on their back and the head and face remain uncovered.
As baby grows beyond 5-6 months they will move around the cot and roll over; settle baby to sleep on their back but let them find the sleep position they feel most comfortable in. A safe cot and safe sleep environment is still necessary for older babies.
Ideally share the same room as your baby when your baby naps during the day. However, for daytime sleeps, the safety of the baby’s sleep environment should be viewed as a priority over sharing the same room as baby.
See the SIDS and Kids information statements: ‘Room-Sharing with a Baby’ for further information.
Special note about bed-sharing
Many parents bring baby into bed to feed, cuddle and settle their baby. In cultures across the world, many parents choose to share a bed with their baby.
Sharing a sleep surface with a baby increases the risk of SUDI in some circumstances.
Babies who are most at risk of sleeping accidents whilst sharing a sleep surface are babies less than three months of age, and babies born preterm or small for gestational age (low birth weight).
Sharing a sleep surface with a baby must be avoided in the following circumstances where:
• baby shares the sleep surface with a smoker
• care-giver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs that cause sedation

• baby is premature, small when born, or less than 3 months of age
• care-giver is overly tired
• there is adult bedding, doonas or pillows that may cover the infant
• baby could be trapped between the wall and bed, fall out of bed or could be rolled on
• baby is sharing bed with other children or pets
• baby is placed to sleep on a sofa, beanbag, waterbed or sagging mattress
Important considerations when choosing to share a sleep surface with a baby:
1. Babies are at greatest risk if they sleep on their tummies or sides and if their faces become covered.
2. Make sure the mattress is firm and the bedding cannot cover the baby’s face
3. Make sure soft items such as pillows, doonas, lambswool and soft toys are not in the baby’s sleep environment
4. Ensure baby is not wrapped if bed-sharing
5. Place baby at the side of one care-giver and not between two care-givers as this increases the likelihood of the baby’s head becoming covered, baby slipping underneath adult bedding or baby becoming overheated
6. To prevent falling ensure the baby is not close to the edge of the bed
7. Do not place pillows at the side of the baby to prevent rolling off; a safer alternative is to place the adult mattress on the floor. Pushing the bed or mattress against the wall can be hazardous; babies have died when they became trapped between the bed and the wall
8. As an alternative to bedding, a safe baby sleeping bag may be used without bedding so that the baby does not share the adult bedding.
9. See the SIDS and Kids information statement: ‘Sleeping with a Baby’ for further information.

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Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce infant illness
and death worldwide.
The evidence that breastfeeding has a protective effect against SUDI has been gathering over many years. Recent studies examining the role of breastfeeding in reducing SUDI show that there is now strong evidence that breastfeeding baby reduces the risk of sudden and unexpected infant death.
Breastfeed baby. See the SIDS and Kids information statement: ‘Breastfeeding’ for further information.
Immunisation
Many large studies worldwide have shown overwhelmingly that immunisation is associated
with a decreased risk of SUDI. Parents are advised
to immunise their babies according to the national vaccination schedule. See the SIDS and Kids information statement: ‘Immunisation’ for further information.
Dummies
Several studies have shown that dummy or pacifier use may be associated with a reduced risk of sudden infant death. The reasons for this are not clearly understood. Dummy use has also been associated with poorer breastfeeding outcomes and higher rates of ear infections and gastroenteritis.
Further studies are required to understand how dummies may reduce the risk of SUDI. Currently SIDS and Kids do not actively encourage or discourage dummy use.
Breastfeed baby

Breastfeeding mothers, who choose to use a dummy, are advised to offer a dummy only when breastfeeding has been established; for most babies this is usually after the first 4-6 weeks.
Parents who wish to use a dummy should do so only
for sleeping periods, and at the end of the first year of life dummy use should be phased out. Parents are also advised not to force the child to use a dummy or pacifier and if the dummy falls out of the mouth during sleep, not to reinsert it.
To avoid strangulation, never tie a dummy on a string or ribbon around baby’s neck or on a cot, pram or
other equipment.