Our little munchkin can now roll onto his stomach and would end up sleeping on that position. And though rolling is an important milestone for him, it somehow scares me.  This anxious mom would end up re-positioning her baby.

I have been reading a lot about child development and I remember encountering details regarding risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).

SIDS is defined as the sudden and unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant.  (http://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/sids.aspx).  It occurs when the baby suddenly stops breathing because of the lower level of serotonin in his brain stem.  Serotonin controls an infant’s breathing and heart rate during sleep.  Incidents like getting tangled up in a blanket or sleeping onto his belly are contributing factors which make babies harder to wake up, thus suffer from SIDS.

To prevent SIDS, allow me to enumerate some tips I have compiled from many readings:

Co- sleeping.  Though there are a number of support groups who are against sharing bed with babies, still I let my darling Yael sleep beside me.  This way, I could breastfeed him easily whenever he demands for milk and check on him regularly.

No bolster pillows around.  Keep soft or hard toys and even bolster pillows out of the bed as these may cover the nose and mouth and interfere with breathing.  Typically, a baby at age 3-4 months begins to learn to grab anything they see and touch and these stuffed toys and pillows may cover his face and suffocate him.

Back position is safest.  I always put our Yael to sleep on his back.  Main reason:  to help keep airways open.

No fancy clothes or beddings.  Specially at night time, our baby only wears a simple pair of pajamas and his booties.   Overdressing would only make him uncomfortable. Same goes with using too many pillows, comforters, and blankets.  This mother always makes sure that the comforter is tightly tucked before putting the baby in bed.

Well-ventilated room.  I have read that using an electric fan reduces the risk of SIDS.  We use fan during our sleep.  If the temperature is too unbearable, we opt to open the air conditioning unit.

No to smoking.   Any poison that denies oxygen increases the risk of SIDS.  Cigarette smoke is one of them.  Smoking during pregnancy, smoking near an infant, and even smoky places should be avoided.

Breastfeed. Breastfeed.  Research says that breastfeeding may lower the risk of SIDS, so when able, breastfeed.

Any parent is overjoyed seeing his baby develop over the months.  And rolling over is one of these baby milestones.  But we as parents should also be extra attentive of our babies activities as they may bring harm than more joy.

As always, enjoy your baby.  Babies grow astonishingly fast!  Seize the moment especially the newborn days; they will be gone before you know it.

*This is our Yael at 3 months old.

admberlin