A Safe Crib

June 7, 2015

One question when preparing for your new baby is how to decorate the crib.
If you go in any baby store there are lots of options of cute bumper pads and beautiful matching blankets. You can find them in any theme you want: jungle animals, princess, spider man, and many more. They are adorable.

What the stores do not tell you is that your baby’s crib should be plain and boring.
Yes, a safe crib should only contain a firm mattress covered with a fitted sheet. No bumper pads and no cute comforter!

The reason a boring crib is recommended is to help in the prevention of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Unfortunately we still do not know the exact cause of SIDS but we do know some things which reduce the number of SIDS deaths.

The recommendations for safe sleep for the first year are:
1. Place babies on their backs to sleep, both at nighttime and at nap-time. Research shows that this is the only recommended position for sleep and it is known to reduce the risk of SIDS. Fewer babies die of SIDS when they sleep on their backs.
2. Place babies on a firm mattress in an approved crib. Do not put babies to sleep on soft mattresses, sofa, sofa cushions, waterbeds, sheepskins, or other soft surfaces.
3. Remove all fluffy and loose bedding from the sleep area. Make sure you take all pillows, quilts, stuffed toys, and other soft items out of the crib. Loose blankets increase the risk of entanglement.
4. Make sure the baby’s head and face stay uncovered during sleep. Keep the baby’s mouth and nose clear of blankets and other coverings during sleep. Research shows that some infants may have difficulty handling the re-breathing of their own air. Good ventilation around the baby’s face has been shown to be beneficial in the prevention of SIDS.

5. Do not let babies overheat during sleep. Keep babies comfortable during sleep, not too warm or too cold. Too many layers of clothing or blankets can overheat babies. Babies have difficulty bringing their body temperature down if they are overheated.

6. There should not be any loose blankets in the crib. Young babies sleep best when they are tightly swaddled to control their arms. When no longer able to be swaddled, sleep sacks work well in place of a blanket.

As a Sleep Consultant I do not recommend mobiles or other toys attached to the side of the crib. We want our babies to associate the crib with sleep, not play. Sleep is our goal because a tired baby is a grumpy baby. A well-rested baby will be happy.

Helping Babies Sleep

http://www.gentletouchsleeptime.com/

Arlene Fryling

Arlene is a registered nurse and certified sleep consultant for children 0-5 years. She has cared for premature, sick, and many healthy babies. For over 15 years she has taught expectant parents how to care for their newborns through classes teaching basic baby care, infant massage classes, and moderating support groups for new moms as they deal with parenting issues.

Infant Tummy Massage to Relieve Gas

To see the complete massage instructional video:

Testimonials

Alix Kron

★★★★★

4 months ago

We cannot say enough positive things about our experience working with Arlene!! We were desperate for sleep, going almost 5.5 months with frequent wake ups, nursing back to sleep, nonstop crying during the day, screaming in the car and becoming more and more hopeless as time went on without having success … Arlene changed all of that within no time. She listened to exactly what was going on for us, developed a sleep plan specific to our daughter’s needs/our goals and was so supportive and answered all of our questions along the way. It was very easy to follow the plan that she developed and it included naps and weaning off of night feedings. We saw a difference in our daughter almost immediately! Arlene has absolutely transformed our lives and given us the ability to enjoy each other and feel so much better getting the sleep we all want and NEED! Our daughter is now sleeping 11-12 hours per night, eating only once overnight as opposed to every 1-2 hours, is on a great nap schedule and is so much happier!!! It’s the best money we’ve spent.

Adrienne G.

★★★★★

2 years ago

We worked with Arlene to sleep train our 22 month old son who had been bed sharing and nursing to sleep. She helped us develop a sleep plan that was specific to our son's needs. It addressed both his nighttime sleep and his naps. It really took the guess work out of the endeavor, because as a parent, even if you read all the sleep books, there are many different opinions and it is hard to know what is right. Arlene was attentive, flexible and available to answer all of our questions and concerns. I would highly recommend working with her! Our son now sleeps 11-12 hours a night and put himself to sleep on his own. Sleep training him has been a game changer for me (I sleep now too!) and for him. He seems well rested and his development seems to be progressing faster now too. His language skills are flourishing since he is getting better rest.

Amanda C

★★★★★

4 years ago

We just wrapped up our second time working with Arlene, and had another great experience! Arlene helped us sleep train our first baby a few years ago when she was 4 months old at the time. She was a terrible sleeper, waking up once every hour and needing to be rocked to sleep for what felt like hours and hours each day. I was a stressed, exhausted, and worried first time mom, and I was drawn to Arlene’s calm and experienced approach. She gave us an option for a gentler strategy that worked for us at the time, and was detailed and responsive in her sleep plan and attentiveness. Our daughter just turned 2.5 years old and is still a great sleeper. So once our second baby turned 4 months recently, we did not hesitate to work with Arlene again. We now have two rockstar sleepers in our household, thanks to Arlene! It means the world to us that she was there to help guide us, instill confidence, and most importantly, help teach our children such a valuable skill they will undoubtedly benefit from for the rest of their lives.

Begoña Cirera

★★★★★

2 years ago

Arlene helped me first with my first son who was 2.5 year old when I hired her. He slept with me during breastfeeding. He never wanted to sleep in his crib. I was due with my second, and I needed better rest, and had no clue how to get him to sleep away from my bed. I even had to sleep w him during naps, or he wouldn’t sleep. I had to walk him for hours to fall asleep every night. It was awful. Two weeks after Arlene helped us create a program for him, he was done!!! He was sleeping in his own room, all night (12+ hours) and he was SO HAPPY during the day. We learned so much, and all made so much sense. After trying methods and books, nothing worked. My son is almost 6, and he falls asleep at 7:30pm every evening, until 7:00am. As a parent, you know how precious those hours are. With my second one, I didn’t make the mistake of waiting until he was two to train him to sleep. By 3 months, we slowly started, with Arlene’s help. I never had to walk him or be there for him to fall asleep. He’s now 3, and he is a great sleeper, much better than his big brother ever was, still takes 90-min naps, and sleeps 11 hours a night. Every penny I spent to hire Arlene’s expertise is worth it. My only regret was not to look for her sooner. Lifesaver, 100%.

Abbey Stidam

★★★★★

6 years ago

Arlene Fryling at Gentle Touch Sleep Time helped our son sleep, which helped us sleep! We were having trouble transitioning our son (4 months at the time) from his rock-n-play to the crib and our amazing sleeper since birth was all of a sudden not sleeping very much. Arlene talked with us about what was going on with his sleep and why the change in his sleep pattern. She answered all our questions and calmed our worries and frustrations. She came up with a sleep plan that worked for our family. She guided us every step of the way. He is now an amazing sleeper again! He is 18 months old and sleeps 12 hours at night and takes a 1 1/2 - 2 hour nap. He loves to sleep and never fights sleeping. I am so thankful we had Arlene Fryling help us and we were able to teach our son to sleep.