Safe Sleep

In honor of Infant Safety Month, I think it's time I share MY Safe Sleep Story with you and one of the huge reasons I became a Sleep Consultant!

First of all, let’s define safe sleep:

Safe sleep is as easy as A, B, C: Alone, Back, and Crib.

Baby should always sleep alone.

• Don’t sleep in the same bed as baby.

• The safest place for baby to sleep is the same room as their caregiver.

• You can place crib next to the bed.

• Keep the room smoke and pollutant-free.

• Keep the room cool to prevent overheating.

Baby should sleep on their back.

• Place baby on their back to sleep and tummy to play.

• Help to prevent flat spots on the head by changing sleep direction daily.
  

Baby should always sleep in a crib.

• Use a crib or bassinet that meets current safety standards.

• Provide your baby with a firm sleep surface.

• Keep crib empty.

• Remove loose bedding, bumpers, and toys as they can put safety as risk.

• Avoid using sleep positioning devices.

• There is no evidence these are effective and in some cases, they pose a danger to baby if they roll out of the device.

Now, onto my story…

I would have tried ANYTHING to get a few hours of sleep! Sound familiar?

Even if it meant it wasn't safe... and most of what we did, wasn't safe.

Gabriel had TERRIBLE Acid Reflux. He was so miserable. Would throw up entire bottles, even out of his nose. His lips would turn purple and he'd struggle to breathe. All because the liquid was making its way back up his esophagus and into his lungs.

I bet you can guess what our nights were like. ROUGH!

So, we did what I have seen a TON of parents do. We bought a Dock-A-Tot, added it to the bassinet, and inclined it with a wedge.

But here's the thing, I didn't really understand the risks. I saw everyone using this expensive baby lounger - friends, celebrities, people I didn't know sharing the benefits of sleep with the Dock-A-Tot. And everyone suggested buying a wedge... even my own pediatrician.

It wasn't until Gabe wasn't at all grasping the concept of sleep and I went out on a limb to hire a sleep consultant that I realize what I had been doing was so extremely dangerous!

Why had I not realize the danger I was potentially causing? The fact that I wasn't following AAP regulations for safe sleep?

WHY did I not realize that Dock-A-Tots are not INTENDED for sleep?! They even specify right there on the label!

Or that wedges are not approved by the AAP?!

I fell into the trap of believing other mama's on facebook groups when they said it was the "solve-all" for their child's sleep or for acid reflux. I let their advice shift my mind from safety first to "do whatever works".

I can't even imagine how different my life would be had my child died from suffocation due to my negligence.

Now, hear me out. I am not saying you are an awful mama for putting a Dock-A-Tot in your child's bassinet or crib. Cause HELLO I did it too! But I wish someone would have sat me down and said "Taylor, this isn't safe. Let's figure out an alternative."

Each year, there are about 3,400 sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) in the United States. 28.3% of these deaths are caused by accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed.
If you are currently relying on an unsafe sleeping practice because it is the only way your little will sleep, I want to make sure that you know that you baby can sleep well AND do so safely.

So here I am, mama. Let's figure out an alternative! Your little one can be comfortable in a bare bassinet or crib.