Today’s blog is not my usual positive posts, but today’s topic is something that we need to be educated about not only us dads, but also mother’s or any family members taking care of our infants.
We always hear about infants who live a healthy life, but all of a sudden with no explanation pass away during their sleep, what is that about? Yes, unfortunately, this is called Sudden Infant Death (SID), but what is SID? Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the unexplained death, usually during sleep, of a seemingly healthy baby less than a year old. Unfortunately, there is no 100% prevention of this, but there is a lot of ways to lower your baby’s risk. Today I will be interviewing Lara-Marie with just question about how we can prevent SIDS in the first place.
MalteseDaddy: Thank you, Lara, for agreeing to talk about parents worst nightmare SID, how can we prevent this from happening?
Lara: Yes, David as you mentioned we cannot prevent them 100%, but there are ways and methods we can put the odds in favour of the parents:
Position of the baby in the cot:
Make sure that your baby is sleeping on his/her back and not on the side or stomach as this will decrease the chances of SIDS. Back sleeping increases the access of fresh air and are less likely to become overheated, thus the baby will not be at risk of choking since the baby’s head is the heaviest body part, their head will eventually tilt on the sides thus decreasing the risk of choking, something which babies cannot do if sleeping on the sides or on the stomach.
MalteseDaddy: What advice do you give parents who let their child sleep in their own bed?
Lara: Yes, this is not the best thing to do as its always safer to leave your child sleeping in their own cot, but in the same bedroom. Why? Parents can pull up the blanket on top of the baby’s head and baby can suffer suffocation or parents might roll onto the baby while sleeping. No pillows or soft toys near baby’s head as they can hinder breathing.
MalteseDaddy: Are pacifiers ideal?
Lara: Yes, using a pacifier before they sleep can reduce SIDS by 90%
MalteseDaddy: What can you tell us about swaddling? (Swaddling is wrapping of the baby in blankets or sheets to restrict the movement of the baby)
Lara: Swaddling also helps fussy babies to sleep and prevents SIDS however it is important not to overheat baby. Overheating is not ideal as high temperatures make baby believe she/he are still in their mother’s womb and since oxygen travels through the umbilical cord and not through breathing, baby can forget to take in oxygen via breathing. Overheating may raise a baby’s risk of SIDS, dress your infant in light, comfortable clothes for sleeping, and keep the room temperature at a level that’s comfortable for an adult.
MalteseDaddy: Is a mattress important to decrease the odds of SIDS? And what about blankets?
Lara: Mattress should be firm and no pillows to be used until one year of age. Feet should touch the edge of the cot so that baby does not slip under the blankets. Blankets should be tucked under baby’s arms and back. Leave arms and head free.
MalteseDaddy: Are there other factors to prevent SIDS?
Lara: Smoking should be prohibited next to your baby even more so alcohol as these are all nono’s that may cause this horrific tragedy.
Thank you Lara for today’s interview, I know this is not a nice topic to talk about, but its good that we educate not only dads but also mums to prevent this horrific nightmare to all new parents and kick SIDS in the a%$ 🤜🤛
