When Can a Baby Sleep with a Blanket or Stuffed Toy?
For new parents, you want to make absolutely certain that you know everything there is to know before your newborn arrives. Preparation will allow you to get everything into place beforehand, so you can fully concentrate on giving your baby the tender loving care it needs when it arrives into the big wide world.
As such, you'll probably have a million and one questions to ask about the right ways to do things when caring for your baby. One area that new parents are particularly focussed on is the baby's sleep. The first few weeks and months after giving birth are the most important for any parent, so it can be particularly worrying parting from your new born when it needs to sleep.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Suffocation
One of the most frequently asked questions from any new parenting couple concerns when their newborns can start to sleep with blankets and stuffed toys. Whilst this question may sound a little unnecessary, it's actually anything but. A crucial question to ask, knowing when your baby can start to use a blanket or stuffed toy will help ensure your newborn not only gets a good night's rest, but also a safe night's rest.
The sad and uncomforting truth is that many babies actually die from what's known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), or through suffocation. In most cases, the reasons for this is because the baby has either rolled over onto their stomach, covering their faces into soft bedding, or they've gotten caught up inside a blanket or buried their heads into a soft toy or pillow. This is why it's important to know when you can start using blankets and soft toys.
Blankets
It is therefore recommended that blankets are not used until the baby is at least twelve months old. Research has shown that after this age, the likelihood of any child dying from SIDS or suffocation actually plummets. Why? Well this is because babies after 12 months old have the ability to roll over, as well as the dexterity to remove blankets from their faces if they happen to accidently cover themselves during the night.
Therefore, the ideal sleeping environment for your child is one that is quiet, dark, and slightly cool temperature wise. Blankets can actually over-constrict and over-bundle newborns, so if your child is comfortable just sleeping in sleepwear or pyjamas alone, then try not to use a blanket. There will however be situations when your child may need a little extra warmth during the night, so blankets can't be ruled out all together. In this situation, it's important to use a thin blanket, which is firmly tucked into the foot of the mattress, coming up only to the baby's chest – never cover the baby's head with a blanket.
Stuffed Toys
New parents will no doubt receive many thoughtful gifts for their newborn, perhaps some cute clothes or stuffed toys. Whilst it may seem desirable to put the stuffed toys into a baby's crib, as mentioned above, it can be very risky doing so. If a baby accidently manages to wedge its face into a stuffed toy, then if it isn't strong enough the consequences could be disastrous.
The peak age for SIDS is between 4 to 16 weeks, so it is generally advised that children under the age of 6 months should not have any stuffed toys and animals in their crib with them when they sleep. This also means avoiding fluffy pillows and blankets as mentioned above. Children will start to experience separation anxiety from their parents after about 8 months or so. In this case, a safe stuffed toy or animal is the perfect way for the baby to ease such anxiety, allowing them to get the good night's rest they need.
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