In the early 1990s, a major initiative by the French Ministry of Health marked a decisive turning point in the prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Successive awareness-raising campaigns to encourage babies to sleep on their backs led to a 75% reduction in the SIDS rate between 1991 and 1997. While the back sleeping position remains the fundamental recommendation for safe sleep, other measures exist to create a safe and serene sleep environment optimal for your baby.
👉 Let's discover together the list of key practices to know how to put baby to bed safely.
CONTENTS :
- The right infant position for a cloudless night's sleep
- A safe bed for lasting comfort
- Bodysuit, pyjamas and sleeping bag: the combo for a perfect night's sleep!
- Fresh and uncluttered, that's what your baby's room should be.
- Baby's Pacifier , your other safety ally?
- Cododo, a supervised solution
- To sum up, good sleep habits for babies
The right infant position for a cloudless night's sleep
What could be happier than a baby peacefully asleep, arms in the air, little fists closed and totally relaxed? Nothing, or very little. So, to accompany this abandonment in the best possible way, let's ask ourselves how to put him down for his comfort and your peace of mind.
In their very first months, newborn babies are particularly vulnerable, even more so at night when their parents are also asleep. That's why the Société Française de Pédiatrie and the WHO recommend that newborns should always be placed on their backs, lying flat. This position drastically reduces the risk of unexpected infant death syndrome (IIDS) until the baby is around one year old, when it can roll over on its own.
Conversely, placing a baby who can't turn over on his tummy, facing the mattress, entails a risk of suffocation. Lying on his side is no safer. Unstable, it makes it easier for the baby to tip forward, onto his stomach or against the bed's bars and bumper pad.
That's why, for complete times of rest, parents and children with their heads in the stars, wherever you are never deviate from the rule. On vacation, at grandma's or at a friend's, whether baby sleeps in a bed, in his cosy or in a crib... it's always on your back.😴
One consequence: flat-head syndrome
Constant sleeping, however, results in the development of flat-head syndrome, also known as plagiocephaly. This is a more or less pronounced and rarely irreversible deformity of the back of the head in babies who always sleep on their back and/or turn their head to the same side when lying down.
To mitigate it, mobility is the key💡
During playtime, give preference to tummy time, to help your child build up his muscles and hold his head, and change his position often, as well as his arms when feeding. Finally, limit the time spent in the cosy or bouncer, which are very practical but relatively restrictive for baby.
By the way, have you ever heard of cushions to combat flat heads or baby headrests? Opinions on these products are divided. Beneficial and harmless on the one hand, useless and dangerous (and contrary to HAS recommendations on baby's bedtime) on the other. No scientific proof has yet been provided as to their effectiveness.
A safe bed for lasting comfort
Cribs and cradles should always be the preferred choice for baby's sleep, both because they are designed to welcome baby safely, and because they offer a firm bed with the right dimensions.
A mattress, footstool or sofa that's too soft, even for a nap, presents a much greater risk of suffocation than a flat mattress.
| 👉 When it comes to baby bedding, there's a vast choice: cribs, cradles or bassinets... But two criteria remain paramount: sturdiness and the absence of loose parts. To help you, look for the European standards NF EN 716-1 and NF EN 716-2 on the packaging, and check that the spacing between the slats is no more than 6.5 cm (to prevent baby from poking his head through). |
Bodysuit, pyjamas and sleeping bag: the combo for a perfect night's sleep!
By the same token, baby's bed should always be empty, apart from his comforter or pacifier. This means no comforters, sheets, bumper pads, blankets, pillows or stuffed toys in which baby can become entangled, entangled or suffocated.
To make up for the lack of bed linen and make sure baby doesn't get cold, bring along a bodysuit and/or pyjamas lined with a sleeping bag adapted to baby's size and the season.
Fresh and uncluttered, that's what your baby's room should be.
For a good night's sleep, the ideal is a calm, uncluttered, cool, shady room. For your baby, it's the same thing: 19 degrees for a room that's tidy and ventilated every day, with no smell of cleaning products or tobacco residues nearby.⛔
💡 A t the same time, naps in daylight and nights in darkness will help your little one to get his bearings in the day/night rhythm.
Please note: if you live with pets 🐕, 🐈 or 🐇, teach them even before your child is born to keep their hair outside his room to avoid, on the one hand, allergy risks and, on the other, invasion (however benevolent) of the bedding.
Baby's Pacifier , your other safety ally?
In recent years, a number of studies have looked into the possible additional protective effect of Pacifier on babies' night-time sleep patterns. In New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States, babies who were observed to take the pacifier more systematically were significantly less concerned by the risk of SIDS.
However, the potential protective mechanisms are neither clear nor scientifically proven. While it does not dispense with other precautions, Pacifier seems to encourage babies to remain on their backs, allow better ventilation between the mouth and nostrils, and influence the regulation of heart rate and breathing, reducing the risk of accidental hypoxia.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, however, recommends that pacifiers be offered systematically at night and for every nap until the age of one. After that, baby can learn to go back to sleep without one.
Cododo, a supervised solution
The principle of co-sleeping is to share your child's sleep, to sleep with him or her. However, while this choice is yours alone, it's important to remember that, when practised in the same bed, co-sleeping can increase the risk of cot death. The reasons for this? A mattress that's often too soft, several blankets, a large comforter, pillows or even the parents' movements during sleep.
For added safety, and because sleeping in the same room as your baby also has many advantages, co-sleeping cots are available. They sit right next to yours and feature a removable wall for easy access to your child, especially when breast-feeding.
You can also install your baby's cradle in your bedroom, so you can see and hear your little one at all times. This is known as co-rooming 🧑🧑🧒. And whatever your choice, always keep the following points in mind:
- don't take sleeping pills, drugs or alcohol when you sleep with your child,
- avoid pyjama cords and long or sharp jewelry that could wrap around baby and cause injury,
- don't have two babies in bed at the same time,
- prohibit access to your animals,
- make sure your newborn can't slip or fall out of bed, and that the cot is securely fastened, with a suitable mattress.
| An ancestral practice widespread in many cultures and first recorded in prehistoric times, cododo involves young mothers keeping their baby close to them, day and night, for the first 6 months of life. Soothing for parents and babies alike, cododo helps the whole family sleep better, creates, establishes or strengthens the parent-child bond, and facilitates breast-feeding. For young parents, it's also a source of wonder. |
To sum up, good sleep habits for babies
- Always lay your baby on his back.
- Practice co-rooming, or co-sleeping, with great vigilance.
- Leave your bed empty, with no blankets, pillows or stuffed animals.
- Make him wear a bodysuit or pyjamas and a sleeping bag in his size, adapted to the season and nothing else.
- Choose a firm mattress in which he can't sink.
- Keep the room at around 19 degrees.
- Do not smoke or use chemical cleaners near baby.
- Once breastfeeding is well established, or from 4 weeks onwards, offer her a physiologicalPacifier to help her sleep.
While putting your newborn to sleep on his back without a blanket is essential in the first few months, trust your instincts to know what's best for your child. Watch him sleep, take inspiration from his natural postures, his moments of well-being and feedback from the mothers around you, to create the safest, most serene cocoon for him.
Les biberons Élhée accompagneront votre bébé de la naissance jusqu'à 24 mois et plus, pour lui permettre une parfaite autonomie, sans risque de casse.
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