EPISODE 17 OF THE AFTER THE STORK PODCAST
How well do you know the AAP's safe sleep guidelines for infants under one year of age?
Tune into the After the Stork Podcast to learn about the nineteen guidelines provided by the AAP with an emphasis on the ones that often cause people confusion and/or that many influences and professionals either do not know or choose to ignore when providing sleep advice.
Regardless of how well you know the guidelines, it is always good to review them. Repetition is the key to strengthening your knowledge of safe sleep and building your courage to advocate for your child if and when someone else is placing them into an unsafe sleep environment.
Even as a Child Sleep Consultant, we can be fooled by really good marketing! Don't believe me? Check out my blog post titled Safe Sleep 101: Read the Fine Print. It goes over an experience I had when questioning my own knowledge due to a product advertising as "safe for sleep".
Here is a quick overview of some of the most important guidelines:
Place your baby onto their back for ever sleep. I know what you are thinking. But what if they roll over or have reflux? More on that in the episode!
Use a firm sleep surface that conforms to the current standard guidelines of the CPSC.
Breastfeeding is recommended.
Room share close to parents but on a separate surface. Tune into learn how room sharing can actually be unsafe though! And how to make sure this isn't the case for your baby.
The only thing safe to be in a baby's sleep space is a the appropriate mattress for the sleep space being used, a fitted sheet, pacifiers, and baby. No blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, bumpers, mobiles, toys, chords, etc.
To learn even more about safe sleep for your infant, check out my Safe Sleep 101 Online Course. It is FREE! In it you will learn about SIDS vs. SUID, a deeper dive into the AAP's safe sleep guidelines, the Triple Risk Model for SIDS, safe (and unsafe) product use, and what to consider and ask to ensure you hire a childcare provider who understands and follows safe sleep guidelines.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE