Decorate your Nursery, Not the Crib

One of the scariest thoughts for parents is SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. In honor of SIDS Awareness Month, I’m sharing how to decorate your nursery, not the crib.  

I think I can attest for expectant Moms everywhere that one of the first things we do after seeing a positive sign on the pregnancy test is start planning the nursery. After a vision is created, we spend hours searching the internet for the perfect green sheets to match the pink floral letters we spent a rainy afternoon painting. Finally, there comes the day when everything is set up perfectly and all that’s left to do is wait for the guest of honor to arrive.

In most nurseries, the crib is the focal point. A crib is where your baby will spend most of his/her time after all. With my first pregnancy, we went all out on a crib bedding set fit for a Queen. I remember it came with a blush pink satin scalloped skirt, a velvet ruffled edge crib bumper, and ivory lattice patterned sheets.

As I fastened the last ribbon bow of the bumper to the crib rail, I remember wondering, “How will we see the baby on the monitor if she was laying down?” What if she rolls against the bumper? How can she breathe? I immediately took the overpriced crib bumper out of the crib.

SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, is very scary and very real.

October is SIDS Awareness month. Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) still claims more than 3,500 infants each year in North America.  More than half of these deaths are preventable when proper safe sleep practices are followed. I can’t imagine what I would do if something happens to Ailey because I want her crib to look fancy instead of safe.

The Safe Sleep Mission by HALO

To help keep all babies sleeping safely and avoid these unnecessary tragedies, HALO is dedicated to putting the health, safety and well-being of babies first. In fact, over 1,400 hospitals use HALO® SleepSack® wearable blankets through the HALO Safer Way to Sleep Hospital Initiative. 

Through this program, HALO has helped Hospitals and Birth Centers throughout North America create their own safe sleep programs. They utilize the HALO SleepSack Swaddle to demonstrate to parents and caregivers how to keep their babies sleeping safely.  To date, HALO has donated more than $4.3 million in its efforts to promote safe sleep education. 

Safe Sleep Tips for SIDS Prevention

ALWAYS

• Place baby to sleep on his or her back at naptime and at night time.
• Use a crib that meets current safety standards with a firm mattress that fits snugly and is covered with only a tight-fitting crib sheet.
• Remove all blankets, comforters and toys from your baby’s sleep area (this includes loose blankets, bumpers, pillows and positioners). The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests using a wearable blanket instead of loose blankets to keep your baby warm.
• Offer a pacifier when putting baby to sleep. If breastfeeding, introduce pacifier after one month or after breastfeeding has been established.
• Breastfeed, if possible, but when finished, put your baby back to sleep in his or her separate safe sleep area alongside your bed.
• Room share, but don’t bed share. Bed sharing can put a child at risk of suffocation.

NEVER

• Never put your baby to sleep on any soft surface (adult beds, sofas, chairs, water beds, quilts, sheep skins etc.)
• Never dress your baby too warmly for sleep; keep room temperature 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Never allow anyone to smoke around your baby or take your baby into a room or car where someone has recently smoked.

For more information about SIDS and Safe Sleep tips visit the HALO website: http://www.halosleep.com/safe-sleep-for-baby

Ailey is wearing a muslin Halo SleepSack Swaddle. This week you can win a HALO Safe Sleep Starter Kit which includes 1 HALO SleepSack Swaddle, 1 HALO SleepSack, 1 onsie, 1 fitted crib sheet and 1 pacifier. Just complete the steps on the Rafflecopter widget below and the winner will be announced Tuesday, October 11th. Entrants must be U.S. residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BONUS GIVEAWAY: HALO is also conducting a giveaway of a HALO Bassinest. Here is the link https://gleam.io/fb/mZucZ