Baby’s Bed: Purchasing and Preparing a Crib

Baby’s Bed: Purchasing and Preparing a Crib

April 3rd, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Of all the things you will need for your new baby, the crib is one of the most important. Your baby will be spending a lot of time in his crib, and you will want to make sure he is both safe and comfortable.

Choosing a Crib

With the recent increase in crib recalls, choosing a crib should be undertaken with caution. While recalled cribs should be pulled from stores, mistakes can happen, so be sure to check any crib you are considering against recall lists. The Consumer Product Safety Commission offers up to date recall information on their website at http://www.cpsc.gov. You can save money by buying a used crib, but be extra cautious. In addition to ensuring that the crib hasn’t been recalled, check it over carefully for any signs of damage or wear. Also, older cribs may not be up to current safety standards, so check with CPSC standards before buying.

There are three basic types of cribs: standard solid cribs, drop-side cribs, and convertible cribs. Standard cribs are solid and do not have moving parts. Drop-side cribs have one side that slides down to make it easier to get baby in and out. Convertible cribs are often drop-side cribs as well, but also convert to a toddler bed and sometimes also to a full sized bed. These cribs sometimes require the purchase of separate kits for the conversion.

Most of the crib recalls in recent years have involved drop-side and convertible cribs, which has led major retailers such as Toys R Us to remove drop-side cribs from their stores entirely. If you are certain you wish to purchase a drop-side or convertible crib, be careful choosing one. Stick to higher-end, well made models, and register your crib so that you will be notified immediately of any recall.

Setting Up a Safe Crib

In order to reduce the risk of SIDS, it is recommended that you keep the crib free of loose blankets, stuffed animals and other items that could cause suffocation. You should not use a standard crib bumper as they present a suffocation risk to your baby; however, a breathable mesh bumper is considered a safe choice for keeping baby’s arms and legs from getting caught in the rails. Remember that until your baby starts to roll over, there is really very little danger of this happening, so a bumper isn’t necessary. Aside from this type of bumper, the only things that should be in the crib are a securely fitted mattress cover and sheet.

Look for a firm crib mattress that fits snugly inside the crib. Although mattresses and cribs come in standard sizes these days, there is always room for error. Try to push a finger in between the mattress and the side of the crib. If you can fit more than one finger, the mattress isn’t snug enough.

When putting your crib together, follow the directions carefully. You should check all screws and bolts regularly to ensure everything is still tight.

Mobiles are a popular crib decoration, but make sure they are securely fastened. As soon as your baby is able to sit up on her own, the mobile should be removed as she may be able to reach it.

When you place your baby in her crib to sleep, you want to know she is safe. Follow all of these precautions when purchasing and setting up the crib, and you will have the peace of mind of knowing you have done everything possible to provide your baby with a safe place to rest her little head.

How to Swaddle Your Baby

How to Swaddle Your Baby

April 2nd, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

When your baby was brought to you shortly after birth, she was likely wrapped tightly in a blanket, arms inside so that only her head was visible. You may have watched in amazement as the nurses took a small square blanket and created a cocoon from it for your little one. The practice of swaddling babies is very common in hospitals, and with good reason. The tightly wound blanket mimics the closeness of the womb, which is a comfort to a newborn who has suddenly emerged into a new and frightening world.

Swaddling and Sleep

Babies who are swaddled tend to sleep better than those who are not, both because of the comforting feeling and also because the startle reflex common to newborns is less likely to wake them. Swaddled babies are also at a lower risk of SIDS as they are not in danger of suffocation due to loose blankets; however, be sure to use a lightweight blanket when swaddling to prevent baby from overheating, a risk factor for SIDS. If your baby’s face appears flushed or she feels sweaty when you unwrap her, the blanket may be too warm.

Learning to Swaddle

If you find yourself frustrated by attempts to create that perfect swaddle that appeared so easy when the nurses did it, you are not alone. Many parents find themselves stumped by how to manipulate a blanket for effective swaddling. While there are many different swaddling techniques, here is a step-by-step method for a very simple swaddle.

  1. Choose a light, thin blanket made of a fabric that is not slippery. Make sure the blanket is neither too small nor too large. Both excess fabric and not quite enough can make swaddling difficult.
  2. Lay the blanket out on a flat surface. The floor is often the easiest place to learn the technique.
  3. Take one corner of the blanket and fold it down to create a small triangle.
  4. Lay the baby on the blanket so that his shoulders line up just below the folded edge.
  5. Take the pointed piece of the blanket that is below the baby’s feet, and fold it upwards so that it points towards his chin.
  6. Take one side of the blanket and fold it over the baby’s body, then tuck it tightly underneath him so that his arms are held at his sides.
  7. Finally, pull the other side over and tuck it under baby’s body. When you lay him down to sleep, ensure this end is beneath him to keep him swaddled.

Make sure that the baby is swaddled tightly enough to keep the blankets from coming loose and to create the feeling of security, but be careful not to swaddle too tightly to avoid compressing the baby’s chest and making breathing difficult. If your baby is fighting the swaddle, it may be too tight.

Making it Easier

If despite your best efforts you just can’t seem to master swaddling, don’t sweat it. There are now a number of products available to make swaddling easier and faster. They use fasteners such as Velcro to keep the blanket in place, and are so easy to use you will probably be able to re-swaddle your baby half asleep and in the dark after that midnight diaper change.

Swaddling is a very old practice and still popular for good reason; it comforts baby, helps him sleep, and also keeps him warm without the danger of loose blankets. With a little practice you can learn to swaddle your baby safely and effectively.

Simple Tricks to Comfort Your Baby

Simple Tricks to Comfort Your Baby

March 29th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

There is nothing worse than listening to the sound of your baby crying and feeling helpless to soothe him. Sometimes figuring out what exactly a newborn wants can be a challenge. If you have ruled out hunger and a dirty diaper as sources of the problem, then in all likelihood your baby just needs to be comforted. Fortunately there are some easy tricks you can use to comfort your baby.

Tone Down the Environment

A baby can become over-stimulated easily. Remember, he is used to the peace of the womb; noise, light and activity can all overwhelm him very quickly. Try turning off the TV, dimming the lights, and keeping other people out of the room while you try to calm your baby.

Swaddling

Used to the confines of the womb, newborns find it very comforting to be tightly wrapped in a blanket. It offers both warmth and a feeling of security, and can both calm your baby as well as help him to sleep better. Swaddling can be a bit tricky to learn at first; it’s a good idea to watch the nurses at the hospital when your baby is born to pick up their tricks, as they are professionals. If you weren’t quite in the state of mind to pick up such details during your hospital stay, you can still learn with a little practice. However, if you find it difficult or frustrating, you can pick up one of the various blankets designed to make swaddling easier.

White Noise

Many new mothers find it odd that their baby doesn’t seem at all disturbed by the sound of the vacuum. The sound made by a vacuum is white noise, and babies find this monotonous type of sound very soothing. The instinct to make a “Shhhhh” sound to soothe baby is a good one; though you may not realize it, you are creating white noise. There are a number of white noise machines on the market that you can purchase for the nursery; however, a simple fan will do the same job and using a fan in baby’s room was recently linked with a significant reduction of the risk of SIDS.

Gentle Motion

The image of a mother gently rocking her baby is well-known for a good reason. Gentle motion such as rocking and vibration are also soothing to newborns. The soft swaying may remind them of the motion inside the womb. An infant swing or rocking bassinet are also good options to provide the same comforting motion, but you may find it more effective if you hold baby and rock her yourself. There is nothing quite like being held in mom’s arms while gently rocking to calm an upset baby quickly.

When Nothing Seems to Work

If you have tried every trick in the book and your baby still won’t be comforted, there might be something else going on. You may have a colicky baby, which is not a dangerous condition although quite difficult for the new mom and dad to deal with. Or it could be that something else is bothering your baby, such as reflux. If your baby is crying for more than 3 hours at a time and you can’t seem to comfort her, or starts crying during feedings and seems to be in pain, it’s time to call your pediatrician. Follow your instincts; if you feel your baby’s crying is not normal, put a call into the doctor’s office.

All babies cry; it’s their main method of communication. Fortunately, most reasons for crying can be solved by ruling out obvious culprits and using these simple tricks to make baby feel safe, secure, and loved.