baby - Guarding Against SIDS - 5 Ways to Improve Baby Safety

For new parents, baby blankets brings up more warm memories than any other baby-related object. Because everyone loved their own baby blankets so much, it should be no surprise that new parents are concerned with picking out the right blanket for their newborns. However, new parents should be aware of safety issues when it comes to baby blankets too. Chief amongst these is the threat of SIDS. What is SIDS? Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is a mystery by definition. The cause of a SIDS death cannot be found even after an autopsy and an investigation. However, SIDS deaths have been reduced since the medical community began educating parents about baby sleeping safety. Although it cannot be proven, suffocation may be one of the biggest culprits of SIDS. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, almost one third of SIDS related deaths are from suffocation in soft bedding. Babies should not be put to sleep in a warm pile of blankets or pillows. Instead, your baby should be wearing sleep-wear that is warm and safe, and be in an environment where nothing could cause suffocation if your baby were to turn over. Five ways to improve your baby's safety The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that parents do the following things to improve baby safety: ? Always put the baby to sleep on its back. ? The sleeping area should be a firm mattress. ? There should be no soft, fluffy blankets around the sleeping baby. ? The room should be well-ventilated and no smoking around a sleeping baby. ? Make sure your baby isn't overheating while sleeping. Common myths about baby sleeping safety Some studies have shown that new parents do not follow baby safety guidelines because of their traditions. We tend to respect the opinion of our grandmother, for example, more than an information web site. However, it can be precisely these traditions that are dangerous to your baby's safety. One popular practice is to put the baby asleep on its side rather than its back. The fear is that the baby will choke on its own vomit, but this is not true. Studies have repeatedly shown that babies are much more likely to swallow or spit up vomit in their sleep than choke. Another fear is that the baby will develop a flat spot on its head from sleeping on its back. This is also not true. After all, traditional cultures that try to make their babies' heads flat (on purpose) have to tie a board to the babies' heads for months at a time! Even your firmest mattress is softer than that. As long as you're watchful, your baby will be happy as a clam in a warm, soft baby blanket. But to be safe, do not keep soft bedding around your baby's sleeping area until at least a year old. And even then, to be safe, only have one thin blanket at a maximum in the crib. I love soft baby blankets - in fact, I have a my own favorite blanket around the house that my kids aren't allowed to play with. But, to improve baby safety in the home, it's important to know when baby blankets are appropriate and when they should be shelved. An effective solution to baby sleeping safety is to wrap your baby in a wearable blanket or a modern baby swaddle. Babies love to be wrapped up snuggily, and you'll sleep better too knowing they are safe. Copywrite (c) 2007 Barbara Garrison. This article is free to reprint, but please only in its entirety. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barbara_Garrison baby - Baby Development - But What Role do Parents Play? It is truly amazing the development that a baby experiences in the first year of life. Every week seems to bring another milestone for parents as well as baby! The primary way a baby learns is through play and baby games, it is how they start to make sense of their world. By providing a nurturing and safe environment for our babies we help to promote this learning that aids their early development. The main groups for baby development in the first year are 1.Cognitive- relating to learning and problem solving 2.Social- relating to language and interacting with others 3.Motor Skills- both fine and gross motor skills. Learning to crawl and walk as well as pick up small objects. In the early months babies love their hands and are endlessly occupied just playing with them and putting them into their mouths. Once they start being able to efficiently grasp at objects they will enjoy being given new toys to explore with hands and mouth. Make sure these objects are baby friendly, there is a wide range of baby specific toys to promote learning and exploration at different ages. Once a baby is able to sit and roll the world takes on a whole new appearance. She is now able to see her surrounding as others do, and rather than passively laying on her back she can move towards something if it interests her. She has gained control of her head and neck and can visually track an object before grabbing for it. Around this time rosy cheeks may appear as the first teeth start coming through. Some babies sail through teething while others do not cope well at all. Provide plenty of different textures and shapes for chewing. Sugar free icy poles are available which you can hold for your youngster or portions of watermelon or other cool fruits that he will not choke on. After the first six months babies become much more social, enjoying many more games, particularly those that involve clapping, singing or tickling. Very early in life babies are able to recognise games of anticipation and seem to love knowing that they are going to be tickled, as much as the tickle itself! They will love story time and enjoy the process of turning pages and exploring the textures found in many books. You will find them smiling and playing with those they know but often quite reserved around strangers. The culmination of all these 'baby steps' in development is that by the time your child turns one he will be close to saying his first words and possibly pulling himself up in preparation for walking. Your once helpless and tiny baby is almost a toddler! Enjoy the pleasure your baby gets from his play and enjoy your time spent playing with him. Your reactions and words of encouragement mean more than any milestone he may pass.