Knowing when is it safe to cover baby with blanket is very important for parents. Waiting for them to become old enough for such comfortable things can prevent sudden infant death syndrome.
Pillows, comforters, sheets, quilts, and beddings are a few of the many gifts parents receive from baby showers. Although these are the cutest gifts that your baby can receive, they are also quite dangerous for your newborn.
What Is SIDS?
Many parents may think that covering their baby with a blanket at night can help them feel more comfortable, but this is actually what makes them vulnerable to suffocation. Putting your baby to sleep while laying on their stomach may also lead to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
This syndrome is known as the sudden death of a healthy baby. Although the cause of this syndrome is unknown, many researchers conclude that this might be associated with problems that affect your baby’s airway.
Keeping Your Baby Warm At Night
1. Preheat their crib
Instead of covering your baby in a blanket when it’s too cold in your house, you may use a bottle of hot water or a heating pad and place it over your baby’s crib for 30 minutes before putting them to sleep.
2. Cover their hands and head
Your baby may lose heat faster through their hands and head. Due to this, it is advisable to have a pair of mittens and socks near their crib to prevent them from losing more heat as the night goes by.
3. Firm mattress
Mattresses made from soft materials may not only risk your baby getting sick because of the passage of cold air through the bed, but they may also be at risk of hazards that may pierce through it. Using a firm mattress may prevent your baby from the said risks.
4. Wind sources
Place your baby’s crib away from wind sources such as windows, air vents, and fans. Always close doors and windows to prevent the entrance of cold air.
5. Swaddle
If the weather gets too cold for your baby, you may swaddle them using thick blankets. Sleeping bags can also do the trick if your baby kicks his way out of the blanket. It lets them sleep comfortably and prevents air from reaching their hands and feet.
6. Set the temperature right
Being too hot or too cold won’t do any good for your newborn, so make sure that the temperature in their room is just right. Your baby’s room should be between 18 to 20 degrees Celsius to be considered a comfortable room where your newborn will sleep.
7. Dress them right
During winter, dressing your baby in easy-to-put and removable layers is more advisable than overloading them with heavy clothes. Warm clothes that are thinly layered can keep them warm and make sure they are easy to remove during diaper changes.
When to let your baby sleep with a blanket
Letting your baby sleep with a blanket should be around one year of their age, where they start to get attached to specific blankets. Also, your baby will be able to push away objects that may affect their breathing when they reach the age of one.
It is advisable for parents like you to let them sleep in their crib for the first few months without any soft objects around them. You must also check if their bedding is firm or loose, as this may wrap around them when they rollover.
You may give your babies the stuffed toys and more oversized blankets that they received as gifts at the age of one or more. Your toddlers will be at the stage where they find their ‘blankies’ and ‘teddies’ and will be able to sleep without letting these suffocate them.
Safe sleeping tips
Baby-proof their room
Be prepared when your baby starts climbing out of their crib. By baby-proofing their room, you don’t need to worry that they’ll hurt themselves if they do climb out of their cribs.
Lower their crib mattress
When your baby learns how to stand by pulling themselves up, lower their crib mattress. Reducing the height of their bed will lessen their fall height if they get tempted to climb up and jump down from their crib.
Place their crib in your bedroom
Put your baby’s crib in your bedroom for the first whole year to prevent you from worrying too much. Don’t share a bed with your baby, and do not put pillows and blankets in their bassinet or crib.
Conclusion
As your baby’s parents, keep them comfortable even if there aren’t any pillows and blankets from the first 12 months of their life. Knowing when is it safe to cover baby with blanket will keep you from worrying.
Blankets may look comfortable, and covering your newborn with one may sound tempting, but they are very dangerous to them. Know whether the things you’ll be adding to your baby’s crib are safe or not, and always consider your baby’s mobility.