October is "SIDS Awareness Month"

SIDS - Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

October is SIDS Awareness Month. Because today is October 1st, I thought this was a good day to talk about SIDS. This is a very important topic to me. If you have any pregnant friends, co-workers, sisters, etc - it's so important that they know about SIDS awareness & things they can do to reduce the risk.

I find it amazing how many people I talk to do not know all the facts about SIDS - and do not know that babies need to sleep on their backs or other things that decrease SIDS risk. That amazes me with all the awareness out there now. All pediatricians tell you put your baby to sleep on their back. SIDS is not a joke and not something you gamble with. Just go to the sids.org website and see how important it is. Yes when the baby rolls over, they might sleep on their belly - but if they are strong enough to roll, then they are strong enough to push themselves away or turn their heads if they are having issues breathing. I believe the risk of SIDS drops drastically at 4 months old.

SIDS scares the crap out of me - I will say it's the thing that when I was pregnant, and when Julianna was born, that I thought about often. Show me one parent who hasn't gone in to check on their sleeping baby to see if he/she is breathing. I have done everything in my power from day one to make sure Julianna's risk was reduced completely. I put her on her 'back to sleep' from the beginning ... got the highest rated & firmest mattress... no toys or blankets in the crib ... always kept the air circulating in her room & controlled the temperature ... I don't overdress her for bed ... we used sleep sacks & swaddles... obviously no one smokes so she hasn't breathed that in ... I never ever put her to sleep on her belly.

We swaddled Julianna for the first 2 or 3 months but always made sure she was not overheated and the swaddle blanket was never near her face. The minute she had the ability to kick off her swaddle, we switched over to the swaddle-me wraps (best invention ever!). Sleep sacks are the best too! Both 'Swaddle-Me' and 'Sleep Sacks' are fabulous blanket replacements. I think you can easily use the sleep sack until 1 year old.

This is Julianna when she was about 3-4 weeks old all swaddled up!

 This is Julianna in her 'Swaddle-Me' ... maybe 2 months old. Her Aunt Kristin called her the caterpillar - so that name stuck - Brian and I still call her caterpillar when she is all 'swaddled' up.

Julianna about 3-4 weeks here napping next to mama on the sofa. Look at those cheeks!

Here are some extra information on SIDS including important information about the recall on the Infant Sleep positioners.

What All Parents should know about SIDS

Infant Sleep Positioners recalled - Suffocation Risk

Reducing the risk of SIDS

American SIDS Institute