A safe sleep space for your newborn is very important to protect him/her from dangers and reduce the chances of SIDS and suffocation. There are a few guidelines you should follow to make sure your baby is resting safely.
The mattress should perfectly fit the size of your crib. Make sure there are no gaps between the crib and the mattress. This will prevent your baby from getting trapped between the mattress and crib.
Choose a firm mattress for your baby to sleep on. Your baby should sleep on a firm surface at all times, even during naps.
Do not have loose bedding, toys, or other objects in the crib. These objects have the potential to suffocate if the baby rolls onto them during her sleep.
Invest in a crib with fixed sides. Drop-side cribs are dangerous, they have been responsible for many suffocations and strangulations. According to Parents Magazine, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has banned drop-side cribs from being sold. However, they can still be found at retailers online. Make sure to stay away from these.
Do not use sleep positioners. Sleep positioners were intended to prevent a baby from changing sleep positions. However, the FDA reminds parents that they are dangerous.
Make sure your baby sleeps on her back, not on the stomach or side. The back is the safest sleeping position. This will lower the risk of SIDS. According to Healthy Children, “an infant who sleeps on her stomach gets less oxygen or gets rid of carbon dioxide less because she is “rebreathing” the air from a small pocket of bedding pulled up around the nose”. Therefore, sleeping on the back will help your baby breathe more efficiently.
Most of these guidelines are to prevent suffocation. Any other dangers that you think could suffocate a baby should be removed from your baby’s crib.