Welcome to motherhood! You went through pregnancy and now it’s time to start the newborn journey! Yay! But scary right? I’m Maggie Jenkins, certified sleep consultant, former nanny and soon to be a first time mom to a baby girl! I know how stressful it is to get everything done correctly without being overwhelmed by all the recommendations. Your baby’s sleep is important, but yours as well! Especially in post partum. I want to help you get the sleep you need with your baby without feeling stressed and overwhelmed. As a new mom. one of the most important things you can do for your baby’s health and well-being is ensuring they get safe and restful sleep. It can be overwhelming to know where to start, this is why I’ve put together this blog post to help you create the ideal sleep environment for your baby.
When it comes to baby sleep, safety should always be your top priority! The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends following certain guidelines to minimize the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related deaths.
Here are some of their key recommendations:
Always place your baby on their back to sleep
This is the safest position for your baby to sleep in. When a newborn sleeps on their stomach, the risk of SIDS increases by 1.7-12.9. Studies suggest that a baby sleeping on their stomach may increase SIDS through different mechanisms such as:
- The baby can re-breathe his or her own exhale breathe, leading to carbon dioxide buildup and low oxygen
- Causing upper airway obstruction
- Interfering with body heat dissipation leading to overheating
Researches have shown that babies who died from SIDS were more likely to be put to sleep on their stomach than babies who lived. In the 1994, The Safe to Sleep® campaign (or back to sleep campaign) started to educate caregivers on ways to reduce SIDS. The annual number of deaths has remained about the same since 2000 following a substantial decline in deaths in the 1990s as the result of The Safe to Sleep® campaign.
Use a firm, flat and empty sleep surface
Your baby should sleep on a mattress that is firm and flat, without any soft surfaces or cushions. When a baby sleeps with someone on the couch or a cushion, the risk of sleep-related deaths is 67 times higher!
Your baby’s sleep environment needs to be EMPTY. Say bye bye to the blanket, pillows, stuffed animals, crib bumpers, braided bumpers etc. This includes the DockATot! The DockATot is not meant to be a sleep environment for your baby and should never be placed in the crib or bassinet!! It could lead to suffocation and increases the risk of SIDS.
Everyone needs their own space
Everyone needs their own bed! I’m not recommending bed-sharing at all. Bed-sharing increases 5-10 times the risk of sleep-related infant deaths. Instead, choose a bassinet that will be placed next to your bed. I personally chose the Halo Bassinest and I recommend it!
Just a quick vocabulary memo :
Bed-sharing/co sleeping = baby is sleeping in your bed, with you.
Room sharing = baby sleeps in the same room as you are, but different bed!
The AAP recommends room sharing for the first 6 months of life. Keep in mind that this is a recommendation. Newborns are loud sleepers and not everyone can sleep in the same room. You also need your sleep (don’t forget it!). If you feel like you would prefer your baby to sleep in their room, in their crib (empty!), do it! I’ve worked with families who decided to have their baby in their room from day 1 and there is no shame about that!
These 3 recommendations above are to me the most important ones and should be followed. You can access to all the AAP recommendations right here.
Sound machine
Sound machines are so powerful for babies! It reminds them the sound they used to hear in the womb, but also helps covering the outside noises. So if your little ones windows are next to a busy street, your neighbors are really loud, or you have people over and you want to enjoy your time with them without being worried about the noise, invest in a sound machine that will be on during the whole time your child is sleeping.
Talking about sound machine, I highly recommend choosing a steady noise like a white noise for example. If you choose a noise that sounds like the ocean, where it comes and goes it may or may not work.
I’ve seen it with one of my clients and the fact that it was loud and quiet and loud again disturbed the child’s sleep. So I would highly recommend a steady noise! I’m a big fan of the Hatch! This sound machine grows with your baby and can be a great tool once they are in the toddler stage! Plus, you can control it with your phone, create schedules, I love it!
Black environment
PITCH BLACK! The room needs to be dark! Your baby doesn’t need a night light, your baby is not afraid of the dark (do you think baby had a nightlight in your belly? NO lol).
Actually babies cannot be afraid of the dark because they didn’t develop their imaginations yet! Imaginations make us afraid of the dark, because we think we saw something or a shape made us scared of something BECAUSE our brain created those thoughts. You’ll see that behavior during the toddler stage, when they start playing pretend, when their imagination is blooming.
The reason why we want a dark room is because the light will disturb your child’s sleep cycle. It’s their indicator of it’s time to play and be active.
If you need a night light for night feedings for example, choose a red tint night light that will preserve sleep.
Cool room temperature
A temperature at 68-72F (20-22C) is great! Make sure the room is cool and air is flowing around baby. If you have a ceiling fan, keep it on the whole time and dress baby accordingly to where you live. If you wonder if your baby is too warm, touch their chest. if it feels too warm to you, lower the temperature of the room or remove layers of clothing to help them cool down.
Are you feeling better now?
With all the recommendations from literally everywhere, it is so easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed, especially when you are tired! I hope you learned something new today and that this post helped you understand what kind of sleep environment is safe for your baby!
If you liked it, please let me know in the comments and share it with a new mom!
If you are looking to help your baby sleep better with the support of a certified sleep consultant, you can check my packages or contact me directly.
Resources:
Back sleeping: https://safetosleep.nichd.nih.gov/research/science/backsleeping
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2022/american-academy-of-pediatrics-updates-safe-sleep-recommendations-back-is-best/
April 5, 2023
Baby’s sleep safety
-
