By Alison Rhodes

Congratulations! You just gave birth. Relish the moment. Now, welcome to motherhood, start worrying.

In all seriousness, moms do worry quite a bit. However, if you get started on the right foot, you'll have a lot less to worry about. Here are my best tips for keeping your new baby as safe as possible during his first months.

During Your Hospital Stay

Begin practicing safe sleep. Your nurse should be familiar with the importance of placing your baby on his or her back right from birth. If not, share your knowledge! Remember, breastfeeding is best. Take advantage of this quality one-on-one time to introduce the breast and begin to establish breastfeeding as your baby’s primary feeding method. Identify resources within your hospital and community that can provide support and ensure success.

Can swaddling be helpful and is it safe. Experts feel that swaddling can be helpful for some newborns by making them more comfortable and secure when sleeping on their back. It may help ease the symptoms of colic as well. Take care to swaddle properly and securely, but not too tightly. It is important that the blanket not come loose and pose a danger to the baby. Once your baby becomes wiggly and squiggly, it might be a good time to discontinue swaddling.

As Soon as You Get Home: You’ve gone smoke-free for nine months to protect your baby - don’t stop now! Exposure to second hand smoke by parents, caregivers and others increases your baby’s risk of SIDS and other respiratory illness. Caregivers: follow my lead! Ensure that all those that care for your baby understand the importance of providing consistency in your baby’s care. Provide them with specific details on your rules for safe sleep, pacifier use, feeding, tummy time, etc.

Take care not to overheat your baby. Overheating is considered to be a leading risk factor for SIDS. Be sure that you don’t overheat your baby with too much clothing and/or bedding and keep room temperature cool. When bringing baby in from the outside, remember to remove outwear and other coverings immediately, and do not use blankets or other coverings as a weather or sun screen.

Months 1 – 6

Supervised tummy time is important. It is critical, since babies spend so much time sleeping on their back, that you provide exercise time for them to strengthen their upper body muscles (neck, arms and chest). This should be done while they are awake and being watched. Start by placing your newborn across your lap for short periods of time, gradually working toward placing them on a quilt or play mat on the floor with toys in front of them.

This is also a great way to spend quality time with your baby - on the floor together! Watch for signs that your baby is tiring and change their position/activity. If your baby falls asleep during tummy-time, immediately place them on their back in their crib for a nap. Follow immunization schedules. The risk of leaving your baby unprotected is 1,000 times greater than any risk posed by immunizing them.

What happens when my baby begins to roll over? Eventually your baby will want to determine his or her own sleep position and may begin rolling to their tummy during sleep. Experts say this is normal, and parents should not disrupt everyone’s much needed rest by continually flipping them back. If your baby is determined to sleep on his or her tummy, take extra care to ensure that there is nothing in the sleep area they can get their face next to and try and relax, knowing that you’ve done everything you can to protect them!

Once Your Baby Reaches 6 Months

Your baby is now out of the highest risk period for SIDS, but don’t let your guard down! He or she is also now more active than ever and can scoot, roll and wiggle in every direction. There must not be anything in your baby’s sleep area that they could get their face next to that could cause them to rebreathe oxygen deficient exhaled air or cause accidental suffocation. Continue providing your baby with lots of supervised tummy time!

Nationally recognized child safety expert Alison Rhodes has dedicated herself to keeping kids safe. Her passion was born out of tragedy – in 1997 she lost her first child to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Since then, she has become a leading spokesperson for infant safety and SIDS risk-reduction. As a former member of the board of directors for First Candle, the national organization focusing on SIDS and other infant deaths, as well as founder of the Connecticut SIDS Alliance, Alison is frequently called upon to be a guest speaker on infant and child safety issues. Find our more by visiting her website, www.thesafetymom.com.

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