Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Decisions
Yesterday I read in a baby magazine that after a baby is 4 months old, you're supposed to take the bumper pad out of their crib because some babies have suffocated themselves with them. And of course I read this after I put Andrina to sleep for the night. And way after she turned 4 months old. So first thing this morning, after feeding her, I took her bumper pad out of her crib. Tom said he wasn't sure, that she may get her arm or leg stuck between the bars. Well, we decided to leave the bumper pad out of the crib anyways, since getting her arm or leg stuck between the bars is preferable to the other possibility. Well, this evening, she was having a hard time taking her nap and I was on my computer, right next to Andrina's room so I could hear her talking to herself and generally not going to sleep 45 minutes after I put her down. All of a sudden, she starts screaming. I ran in her room and sure enough, her little left ankle was stuck between the bars of the crib! ARRGH! My poor baby! She was crying so hard she had tears under her eyes. And she usually does not cry like that. Actually, she does not cry much at all. Andrina needed to be comforted after that. And I feel awful like I made the wrong decision to take her bumper pad out of her crib. So what is the right thing to do?
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1 comment:
I took a training by the SIDS of IL foundation-they are the first place in IL that will deal w/ infant death (so if you have a baby under 1 die, they are the first people you will have contact w/). The training was amazing. They recommend no bumpers ever. However, it seems like your article was backwards. Before 4 months would be a MUCH greater risk of suffocation and a much LOWER risk of getting an arm or leg caught for a twofold reason. First if she wriggles over and gets her face in there before 4 months she's not strong enough to get it out and may suffocate. Second, if she wriggles over there, she's really not coordinated enough to get her arm or leg between the bars-plus she's smaller-so the chance of getting it caught is really small. After 4 months old, if she gets to the bumper and gets her face in there, she strong enough and her brain is developed enough to make her lift her head, turn away, or wake up to take a breath. she's also strong enough, coordinated enough, and big enough to actually get her arm or leg caught in there. so i would say that the article should have said after 4 months you can add a bumper, not before. If you don't want a bumper in there at all due to the possibility of suffocating yet want to keep her arms and legs protected, you could buy a mesh one. they do sell those. it's just a short little mesh pad-like what's on your pack and play-but in the shape of a bumper. that way it has holes to breath but also keeps her arms and legs out.
Or you could do what we do and tie her down.
JUST KIDDING! we do NOT do that! :) haha!
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