The 7 Best Baby Sleep Tips Ever
Baby sleeping recommendations
A baby sleeps more than 15 hours a day. Spending most of his day sleeping, the baby needs a comfortable and secure space. Parents must make sure that the baby feels good in his sleeping environment, and pay attention to the baby's positions when sleeping. It is necessary to organize a serene and secure environment to make your child sleep.
How and where to put your baby to sleep?
To prevent sudden infant death syndrome , it is essential to follow the following recommendations recommended by health professionals and the World Health Organization:
- Place the baby on his back . It is important not to place the child on his stomach or on his side. This position will help the baby breathe more easily.
- A suitable temperature . In order for the baby to feel comfortable, the temperature of his room in particular must be set between 18 and 20°C . This is the ideal temperature for the child to sleep. It is therefore important not to cover him too much, and to prefer sleeping bags or baby sleeping bags to blankets.
- A baby alone in his bed or crib . Blankets, pillows, comforters, toys are strongly discouraged in the baby's bed during his first months. The major risks are: suffocation of the baby, or lack of space which could prevent the child from sleeping.
- Use a sleeping bag or a sleeping bag . The sleeping bag and the sleeping bag allow you to cover the baby without any risk. By freeing the baby's head, the baby can breathe properly while being covered.
- A correct mattress . The baby's mattress must be neither too soft to prevent the child from sinking into the mattress, nor too firm to make the baby comfortable.
- Do not smoke around the baby . The smoke and smell of cigarettes can prevent the baby from sleeping. He may feel oppressed or have difficulty breathing, which makes it difficult to sleep. He is in spite of himself a victim of passive smoking.
- Away from curtains and radiators . The baby's crib should not be placed near curtains or a radiator.
What if my baby's head flattens when sleeping on his back?
Pediatricians say that work on flat head syndrome or "positional plagiocephaly" has progressed. Thus, the prevention of "flat head" is taken into account in particular in the way the baby is put to bed:
- Parents can try to alternate the infant's orientation in bed , so that his or her head is not always on the same side.
- When your baby is awake, you can encourage him to gently turn his head from side to side . When you breastfeed or bottle-feed him, be sure to change positions so that his head is not always in the same place. By playing with him, parents or those around him can encourage the baby to turn his head from side to side.
Which bed to choose for baby?
According to early childhood professionals, the crib is the most suitable bed for putting your baby to sleep at home during their first months . Promising safety and comfort, this bed is "human-sized" for a newborn. The baby, who has just left his mother's womb, needs to be in a reassuring place, so as not to be totally lost. These recommendations also apply to the cardboard baby box , an evolving bed that complies with safety requirements and is recommended by pediatricians.
After 6 months, the baby will have grown a lot and it will be time to change beds. The cot therefore becomes the child's second bed, until he or she is 3 years old, after which he or she can have his or her "big bed".
