Preventing SIDS

Image via www.prevent-sids.org 

SIDS is the leading cause of death in healthy babies over one year of age.

From Wikipedia:

Prenatal risks

• inadequate prenatal care ^{[citation needed]}
• inadequate prenatal nutrition
• tobacco smoking
• use of heroin
• subsequent births less than one year apart
• alcohol abuse
• being overweight
• smoking and taking other drugs while pregnant

[edit] Post-natal risks

• low birth weight (especially less than 1.5 kg (~3.3 lb))
• exposure to tobacco smoke^[2]
• laying an infant to sleep on his or her stomach (see sleep positioning below)
• failure to breastfeed
• excess clothing and overheating
• excess bedding, soft sleep surface and stuffed animals
• gender (61% of SIDS cases occur in males)
• age (incidence rises from zero at birth, is highest from two to four months, and declines towards zero at one year)
• premature birth (increase risk of SIDS death by 50 times)

As you can see from the chart at the top of this post, being a second or subsequent baby or being the child of a single parent also puts children at a higher risk of SIDS.

Some other tips:

1. Always put your baby to sleep on it’s back. The Back-To-Sleep campaign has helped dramatically reduce crib deaths.

2. Always keep your crib free of blankets, stuffed animals, toys, extra clothing, and loose or soft bedding.  NEVER USE PILLOWS OR SOFT BUMPER PADS IN A CRIB.  Most SIDS is caused by suffocation. Use a wearable blanket.

3. Get a new (not used) crib mattress and either wrap it in a cover specially designed to prevent SIDS or buy the HALO airflow mattress — the only mattress proven to reduce SIDS — and clean it regularly.  Make sure your mattress fits tightly and that the sheets and pad fight snugly (but not so tightly they might pop off.) Use only 100% cotton sheets and wearable blankets.

4. Never allow a young baby to sleep on a sofa, pillow, cushion, or in adult bed that doesn’t meet the above requirements for cribs (i.e. being totally free of soft bedding).

5. Consider short-term pacifier use as a means of reducing your baby’s risk for SIDS.

Getting a Good Breastfeeding Start

From AskMoxie:

“Most of us are going to need more resources, in book form (The Nursing Mother’s Companion by Kathleen Huggins is extremely factual and covers a zillion scenarios, while So That’s What They’re For by Janet Tamaro has a bunch of actual information but also humor and commiseration) and on the internet (kellymom.com) and in real life (an IBCLC lactation consultant, La Leche League meetings, breastfeeding support groups run by hospitals and women’s centers, or even just another mom you see nursing at the bookstore).”

Moxie suggests putting the number of a local IBCLC lactation consultant on your fridge so you’ll have someone to call on your first day home with the baby.

She also has an important pdf of ways to prevent post-partum depression (ppd).

Preventing Food Allergies

From The Mayo Clinic:

Can food allergies be prevented?

Although there is no surefire way to prevent your child from developing a food allergy, introducing foods at the right age may help. Experts still need to do more studies to find out exactly what works best, but here are some steps you can take:

• Avoid peanuts during pregnancy and while nursing. Eating peanuts during pregnancy and while breast feeding may increase your child’s risk for developing a peanut allergy and other allergies — especially if you have a family history of allergies.
• Give your child only breast milk for the first 6 months, if possible. This is the best source of nutrition for your infant — and it may help prevent your child from developing food allergies that can last well into childhood or even adulthood.
• Wait until your child is 6 months old to introduce solid foods. Especially if you have a family history of food allergies, taking steps to prevent early exposure to foods that can cause allergies is a good idea. As a child grows older and the digestive system matures, the body is less likely to absorb food or food components that trigger allergies. Experts believe that waiting to introduce solid foods until your child is 6 months old may help prevent allergies to those foods.
• Introduce cow’s milk after one year. Studies show that waiting to introduce cow’s milk until your child reaches age 1 reduces the chance your child will develop a milk allergy.
• Introduce eggs at age 2. This may help prevent your child from developing an egg allergy.
• Introduce nuts and seafood at age 3. This may help prevent your child from developing an allergy to these foods. (Do not give your child whole nuts until he or she has molars and can chew them well.)
• Introduce all new foods gradually and one at a time. Before introducing mixed foods that could cause an allergic reaction, introduce each new food on its own. Don’t mix foods until you’re sure each individual food is tolerated.
• Give your child cooked or homogenized foods. Many foods are less likely to cause an allergic reaction after they are cooked. (However, be careful. A few foods — such as cod and celery — still contain allergy-causing proteins after cooking.)

Toys

BUD Luxury Duck $10

Quechua 2-Second Tent

Surburbia in a Bag

Wallter Wall Applications

Breastfeeding Buddy,

Yogini Style (maternity yoga wear)

The Right Start and Magic Beans are among the first stores to carry Maxi-Cosi car seats and Quinny strollers in the USA. Both now have the Cabrio car seat and the Buzz and Zapp strollers available for purchase.

This huge city folds into a firetruck.

Breastfeeding Doesn’t Prevent Obesity

Washington Post: “While breast-feeding has many benefits, it won’t prevent a child from becoming fat as an adult, says a new study that challenges dogma from U.S. health officials.The research is the largest study to date on breast-feeding and its effect on adult obesity.”

Breastfeeding and Teething

PureLan 100 – 1.3 oz Tube by Medela
$6.99

TheraShells Breast Shells by Medela
$9.99

Soothing Gel Patches by Gerber
$14.99

100% Cotton Bra Pads by Medela
$5.99

Nursing Pads by Lansinoh
$5.99

Breast Pads by Lily Padz
$19.99

My Brest Friend Pillow – Dark Blue by Zenoff
$39.99

Nursing Stool – Natural by Kidkraft
$29.99

Isis IQ Duo Twin Breast Pump by Avent
$349.99

Isis Duo Car Adaptor by Avent
$15.99

Quick Clean: Breastpump & Accessory Wipes (24 Count) by Medela
$9.99

4 oz. Breast Milk Storage Jars by Avent
$11.99

Breast Milk Storage Bags by Lansinoh
$7.99

9 oz. Feeding Bottle with newborn nipple by Avent
$4.99

3 pack 8 oz. Wide Neck Bottles by Dr. Brown’s Bottle
$16.99

Night & Day Bottle Warmer by First Years
$34.99

Quick Clean Micro-Steam Bags by Medela
$4.99

Splash Brush and Drying Rack, $28.00

Microwave Steam Sterilizer by Avent
$29.99

Pacifier Rinser by Prince LionHeart
$7.99

Gentleflex Pacifier Size 1 by Gerber
$5.29

Teether Ball by Munchkin
$5.99

Deluxe Gum Soother by Fisher Price
$2.99

The Ideal Sleep Environment for Babies

Research from the SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) Alliance:
Sleepping Supine (on the back) is the only safe position for infants

Breastfeeding and early, short-term pacifier use cut the risk of SIDS

But pacifiers are easily contaminated by bacteria, and must be kept clean.

Bedsharing can increase the risk of SIDS, especially if parents use tobacco or alcohol

Rules for Safe Crib Sleeping:

Cribs should have closely spaced rails, a snug fitting mattress, a flat sheet. Padded bumpers should be avoided, and soft bedding, blankets, pillows, quilts, and stuffed animals should never be used inside of a crib before 1 year of age. Mobiles, curtains, and other toys should be kept out of reach.

When your child reaches 35 inches (890 mm) in height, he/she has outgrown the crib and should sleep in a bed.

The HALO^® Active-Airflow™ Crib Mattress is the only mattress clinically proven to reduce the risk of rebreathing exhaled carbon dioxide – which can contribute to SIDS. (Results published in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Easy to change sheets:

Ultimate crib sheet

SleepSacks: Safer than blankets

Swaddling

• REM sleep is nearly doubled in babies who are swaddled than in those who are not.

• It helps your baby sleep longer and sounder.
• It is proven to reduce colic and fussiness.
• It recreates the warmth and security of the mother’s womb while adjusting to their new world.
• Swaddling limits the startle reflex, which wakes babies during their sleep.
• Properly swaddled babies sleep through the night sooner.
• It helps your baby become aware of your efforts to soothe her.
• It’s safe, easy and reduces the risk of SIDS.

Snug and Tug Swaddling Blanket

Keep sheets clean longer:

Carter’s Waterproof Crib Pad

 

Carter’s Waterproof Pad Sets

 

Combination lullaby player and nightlight:

 

iCrib Sound System

TykeLight Buddy

 

 

 

What NOT To Feed Your Kids

BabyCenter has an extensive list of foods unsafe for children, mostly for their allergenic potential:

Foods to avoid: Newborn to 4 to 6 months
All solid food: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you feed your baby only breast milk or formula for the first four to six months.

Foods to avoid: 4 to 12 months
Citrus: (because of allergies)

Egg whites: Yolks are fine, whites can be allergens, if your child is allergy prone, wait until age 2.

Honey: Honey can harbor spores of Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism.

Peanut butter: Highly allergenic, wait at least until 1 year old, 3 if there’s a bigger risk of allergies or if you or the other parent has peanut allergies.

Wheat or wheat products: Most babies can handle wheat — found in many cereals and breads — when they’re about 6 to 8 months old. Wheat is the most common grain allergen, though, so if you’re concerned about allergies, it might be a good idea to wait until your baby is 1.

Shellfish: Because it can be highly allergenic, experts recommend excluding shellfish from your baby’s diet until his first birthday. (If you suspect he’s susceptible to allergies, wait until he’s between 3 and 4 years old.)

Tree nuts (like pecans and walnuts): If you think your baby is at risk for allergies, you might want to wait until he’s 3 or 4 before giving him nuts. Otherwise he can probably handle them when he’s 1, as long as they’re pureed in food or in nut butters. (Whole nuts and pieces of nuts pose a choking hazard.)

Other potential allergens: If you’re concerned that your baby may be prone to allergies because of your own allergies or your mate’s, you might choose to delay the introduction of other commonly allergenic foods — like corn, soy, chocolate, or anything else you’re allergic to — until your baby’s at least 1. Depending on the severity of your allergy and other factors, you may want to wait even longer. For help making this decision, talk to your child’s doctor.

If you’re breastfeeding, avoiding all nuts and possibly eggs and milk in your own diet may help in delaying or preventing allergies in your baby.

Cow’s milk: Stick with breast milk or formula until your child’s first birthday. Why? Your baby can’t digest the protein in cow’s milk for the first year, it doesn’t have all the nutrients he needs, and it contains minerals in amounts that can damage his kidneys.

Avoid large chunks and small, hard foods. Also avoid feeding a small child in the car, where it’s hard to monitor them, and be extra watchful if the child has used a numbing medication in their mouth.

Foods to avoid: 12 to 36 months
Low-fat milk: Your toddler needs the fat and calories of whole milk for growth and development.

Choking hazards: Continue to avoid all the choking hazards listed above, as your child might still have trouble getting them down safely.

Highly allergenic foods: Most kids can handle common allergens by their first birthday. If you’re concerned about allergies, experts suggest delaying the introduction of egg whites until age 2, and holding off on shellfish, tree nuts, and peanuts (including peanut butter) until your child is at least 3.

The Good News:

A University of Portsmouth [uk] study tested 1,000 or so babies for food sensitivity. 54% of them were reported by their parents to have a sensitivity, but when they were double secret blind tested, between 2.2% and 5.5% of infants actually have food hypersensitivity in the first year of life. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: In the first year of life, the rate of parentally perceived food hypersensitivity is considerably higher than objectively assessed food hypersensitivity.