Is It Safe For Babies To Sleep On Your Chest?

Learning to make decisions is an important part of becoming a parent. When you're a new parent, you have to make a lot of tough choices, and one of them is whether or not your baby will sleep in your bed. Some infants will not sleep anywhere but next to their parents, no matter how much you try to prevent it.

You may find a cute photo of a sleeping newborn and proud parents cuddled up to one another in almost anyone's social media page. As a new mother, one of the favourite things is to cuddle up with my infants and feel their little hearts pounding in time with mine. You and your infant will form a special link, no doubt about it, but is it safe?

When it comes to the proper way to put a newborn to sleep, there is a lot of misinformation out there. So, you can make the greatest decision for your loved ones, let's go through some often-asked questions.

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Should You Allow Infants To Sleep On Your Chest?

Babies, especially newborns, should not sleep on their parents' chests to prevent sudden infant death syndrome. Establishing a policy of not allowing your baby to sleep on your chest is recommended. Putting your infant to sleep on your chest, often known as co-sleeping, may seem like a great idea at the time because of the bonding experience it provides, but it actually poses a number of health risks for both of you. Baby may fall asleep while being rocked but may wake up if placed down. Because of this, many parents choose to have their infant sleep with them instead of in their own bed. It raises the odds of accidental deaths or suffocation, in addition to the already elevated odds of SIDS.

Is It Safe For My Baby To Sleep On My Chest?

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends skin-to-skin contact with your newborn for up to an hour after birth because of the remarkable bonding experience it provides. You can stay out past this time, but only if you stay awake. The American Academy of Pediatrics warns against putting your infant to bed with you if you are tired (SIDS).

Where And How Should A Newborn Sleep?

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that babies should sleep on a hard surface in their parents' bedroom. Babies should be slept on their backs exclusively to lessen the likelihood of sudden infant death syndrome. All types of cribs, bassinets, portable cribs, and play yards are fine options, but they shouldn't have any soft things in them.

What Should You Do If Your Baby Would Like To Sleep On Your Chest?

Swaddling

If you haven't tried swaddling your infant before, you should. He is used to the warm and secure environment of your womb from spending nine months there. Swaddling or wrapping your infant can help him recreate that soothing sensation and get a good night's rest.

Dock-A-Tot

Babies may need to feel less 'vast' in the crib to fall asleep. This may be one more explanation for why babies like to sleep on their parents' chests. Using an in-bed co-sleeper like the Dock-A-Tot, bed-sharing or co-sleeping may be an option for many families. Thus, you and your baby can sleep comfortably in the same bed.

Zip A Dee-Zip

Swaddling may not be effective beyond four months of age, therefore you may want to try a swaddle transition product like Zipadee-Zip. When the baby's Moro reaction is particularly robust, this can be helpful.

Rock-N-Play

When newborns are small, many parents opt to use the "Rock-N-Play" approach. This technique may be especially useful if the child is younger than four years old. However, your infant may develop a dependency on the Rock-N-Play method of sleep support, increasing his risk of future difficulties. However, because it is not flat and hard, this procedure is not regarded as the safest of all the alternatives. If you are concerned that the baby will not have enough room to sleep, you should talk to your doctor.

Noise While Heartbeat

Your baby may choose to sleep on your chest since he or she can hear your heartbeat. When a newborn sleeps on mom's chest, it is your heartbeat it hears for the first time. If you need some peace and quiet, maybe try out a white noise machine with a heartbeat. While this might not be a miracle fix, it could provide some relief.

Sleep Training

Sleep training is an option if your baby is at least four months old. Your infant can learn to fall asleep on a different surface since he has no concept of the difference or that anything is wrong with it. Many infants will benefit from learning to sleep well away from their parents.

If you or your partner smokes or drinks alcohol, it's best not to co-sleep or let your infant sleep on your chest. Even if you're exhausted or your kid was early, you shouldn't do it. To avoid the risk of asphyxia, he should sleep in a crib without any bedding. Parents who wish to be close to their babies as they sleep can consider sharing a bedroom with their infant. To reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), you should put the crib next to you.

Helping Babies Sleep Safely

Do you have a baby at home or are you expecting one soon? Follow these guidelines to lessen the likelihood of SIDS and other sleep-related newborn fatalities (SIDS).

Around 3,500 infants in the United States die annually from causes connected to sleep. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) backs the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) amended 2016 guidelines for external icon to prevent SIDS and other sleep-related newborn deaths. If you want to know more about these and additional measures, see the AAP's policy explanation, How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe External symbol.

Here are some things parents and carers may do to make sure their infants have a secure sleeping environment:

• Always put your infant to sleep on his or her back, whether napping or sleeping through the night. Babies can't choke while sleeping on their backs because of their natural gag reflex and exterior anatomy symbol. Back-sleeping infants have a significantly lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than those who sleep on their stomachs or sides.
• Always sleep on a level, solid surface, such as a mattress in a crib that has been approved for safety, with just a fitted sheet over it. It may be the opinion of some parents and carers that putting a baby to sleep on a plush mattress or other cushioned surface will make them more relaxed and content during their nap. However, deaths during sleep have been linked to sleeping on soft surfaces. A firm mattress is safer for babies since it eliminates the risk of suffocation and sudden infant death syndrome.
• Your baby should continue to sleep in the same room as you do until they are at least six months old, and ideally until they are one year old. Babies who share an adult bed or other dangerous sleeping environments are at increased risk of accidental asphyxia or strangling. A room share is much safer than bedsharing and may reduce the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome by as much as half. In addition to making it simpler to feed, comfort, and monitor your infant, situating the crib next to your bed can be of great assistance with these activities.
• You should not put anything soft in your baby's crib with them, including blankets, cushions, bumper pads, or stuffed animals. Don't make your kid too hot by covering his or her head. Some parents might think it's a good idea to put blankets or sheets in the crib with their infant so that the child is more cosy and secure when sleeping. Babies shouldn't be swaddled in too many layers, as this can cause them to overheat or suffocate. It's possible to dress your baby in sleepwear, such as a wearable blanket, if you're concerned about them being cold while they're sleeping. Newborn suffocation deaths during sleep were shown to be most commonly caused by soft bedding, such as blankets and pillows, according to a recent Pediatrics paper external icon written by CDC scientists and colleagues.

A Bare Crib Should Be Used For Babies.

Seventy-three percent of mums in our poll admit to putting something in their baby's crib at least once. The majority of children (59%) and adults (35%) found comfort in a blanket, while 23% found comfort in bumpers, 23% found comfort in stuffed animals, and 23% found comfort in pillows (8 per cent). The American Academy of Pediatrics states that regardless of how babies sleep, all of these pose suffocation risks to infants aged 1 year and younger and can increase the risk of SIDS by up to five times (AAP).

Oftentimes, mothers receive contradictory information. "When women go into a baby store or look through a baby catalogue or magazine, blankets, they see bumpers, and stuffed animals, and they feel that they need to buy these in order to be good parents.

A simple, unadorned crib is excellent for your baby. Only a fitted sheet, nothing else, should be placed in the baby's crib. There should be nothing in the crib with the baby that could cause asphyxia, including but not limited to pillows, plush animals, sleep positioners/wedges (which present the same suffocation risks as pillows), and bumpers for the crib.

Baby Should Always Be Placed On Her Back When Sleeping.

Babies are at greater risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) when placed on their stomachs to sleep (28% of mothers admit to doing this). 47% of those who choose to take this chance do so before their infant reaches the age of three months. According to the associate director of the Sleep Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and author of Sleeping Through the Night, SIDS risk is greatest in the first four months.

There are a lot of "conscientious objector" parents among them. Somehow they justify their actions as superior to the advice of their paediatrician. If a parent is desperate enough, they may find a way to justify stomach-sleeping in order to avoid hearing their infant cry. Babies do wake up more readily when lying on their backs, and this is real. Perhaps that will prevent sudden infant death syndrome. Babies who sleep on their bellies don't wake up as often, putting them at risk of low oxygen levels if they go too long without breathing.

Ten percent of those who broke the rules did so out of concern that their infant would suffocate from acid reflux. There's absolutely zero proof of that. There is a greater risk of suffocation when sleeping on one's stomach as opposed to one's back.

Make sleeping on the back the default position for infants to guarantee their safety. Only by consistently putting your baby to bed on his back will he learn to do it on his own. The situation is the same as that of a baby who resists being strapped into his car seat. For safety reasons, he must be buckled in his vehicle seat.

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Be Careful With Co-Sleeping.

It's usual for parents to "co-sleep," or sleep on the same bed as their infant. Among the mothers we surveyed, 65% reported having shared a bed with their newborn, with 38% saying they did so on a weekly basis. Most of these mothers are concerned about the possibility of accidental asphyxia for their infants, but they continue to bedshare nevertheless. Why? They claim that this is because it helps their infant fall asleep, facilitates nursing, promotes bonding, and that Baby simply refuses to sleep anywhere else.

However, sleeping in a shared bed might be dangerous. Half of all infant suffocation deaths, according to studies, occur in an adult bed. More than 40 times as many infant deaths occur in bed with a parent as they do in a crib. Baby can easily suffocate on an adult bed due to the lack of firm support, the larger pillows, the thicker comforters, and the additional blankets. In addition, many parents have the tragically erroneous belief that they are light sleepers and would awaken immediately if their child rolled over on them while they were sleeping.

Having Baby sleep in a portable crib in your room is the safest choice. Once she is comfortable there, you can transition her to a crib in her room. She won't just be secure in her sleep, but her rest will be more restful as a result. Babies who share a bed with their parents wake up twice as often as those who sleep in separate rooms, according to research We led. They can't fall asleep because they can't calm themselves.

Never Sleep With Your Baby On The Couch.

Experts were taken aback by the fact that 53% of mothers in our survey said their infants regularly joined them on the couch. In comparison to a bed, a couch is much more likely to produce an accident involving suffocation if Mom or Dad roll over while Baby is sleeping. Surprisingly, some parents believe it's safe to let their infant sleep on the couch with them since, unlike in a bed, Baby can't roll off the couch if she's wedged between their body and the back. Actually, the child is at much greater risk of being trapped between the parent's body and the couch.

Spending quality time with your baby before putting her to bed in her crib is a great way to strengthen your bond with your child and increase her sense of security. Don't feed or nurse your baby on the couch when you're tired or when it's late at night. To fall asleep more easily than in a less inviting location. Don't be tempted to cuddle up with your sleeping significant other while you scroll through your Netflix list.

Finally, a sleeping infant should never be set down on a sofa. Eighteen percent of mothers report that their infant has slept on a couch alone; this is never a good idea, even if you're awake. Suffocation can happen in as little as one minute.

Follow These Sleep Guidelines For Naps, Too.

Reading over the responses to our survey, we noticed a common theme: many mothers who would never put their infant to sleep on his tummy at night do so during naps. Many parents mistakenly believe that being awake and active means they are keeping an eye on their young child. But in all likelihood, you are in the kitchen or at your computer, and if your infant is having difficulty breathing, there will be no sound.

Another study found that a baby's risk of SIDS increased by 18 times if he or she was often put to sleep on his or her stomach despite being placed to sleep on their back. One argument is that babies who fall asleep on their backs more often develop motor abilities that make it harder for them to lift their heads while they're on their stomachs, which increases their risk of asphyxiation.

Where Should You Put Your Baby To Sleep?

Anyone who has ever had a baby will tell you that you won't be getting much sleep in the weeks and months after the birth of your child. If you ask around about the best place for your infant to sleep, you'll hear a variety of responses. Pros disagree amongst themselves. When parents put their infants to bed with them, it's called "bed-sharing," but the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warns against it because of the possibility of SIDS (SIDS). For at least the first six months, and ideally for the entire first year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that infants have their own safe and secure sleeping space, such as a crib or cot, in the same room as their parents. There is no evidence that babies who sleep in their own rooms are safer or more independent than those who sleep with their parents.

Skin-To-Skin & Rooming In

Parents have always had a strong need and desire to have their newborn babies close to them. We now understand that your baby, like you, has a biological need for close physical contact. Research has indicated that babies do better in the transition to life outside the womb if they are held skin-to-skin on their mother's chest immediately after birth.

When you are awake and medically stable after giving birth, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Lamaze International both advocate skin-to-skin contact for at least an hour. Even in the hours and days after birth, your baby needs to be close to you. You may learn your newborn's needs and how to care for, soothe, and comfort them by rooming in with them on a separate sleeping surface, like a bassinet or cot. Additionally, breastfeeding is best initiated while rooming-in. Close proximity to mum increases milk production and the likelihood of exclusive breastfeeding. (During the first 6 months of life, experts advise only breast milk, with no additional foods or liquids.)

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Safe Sleep

Baby sleep safety should be your top priority. When laying your baby down, make sure they are on their back on a sturdy surface. In order to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, this is the most common measure taken. Dress your kid for sleep in the same manner you would if you were going to bed, which is preferably in light clothing, and maintain a temperature in the bedroom that allows you to do the same. It's risky to let yourself get too hot. Suffocation threats such as soft bedding, crib bumpers, blankets, and plush toys should be kept far away from their crib, bassinet, or cradle.

The most secure sleeping arrangement for your newborn? a localised area close to you. Keep yourself and your kid close when you sleep; that's what's most important.