2 Mistakes New Parents Make When Putting Baby to Bed

Being a new parent is a lot of work, and there are so many things to think about on a daily basis. It is normal for you to put a lot of pressure on yourself to be perfect when you first bring home your new baby, but this just is not possible, and it might be time to cut yourself some slack and accept some help from other people.
When it comes to bedtime there is a lot to think about, and that is why we are here to tell you about 2 common mistakes that new parents make when putting baby to bed, and how to solve them.

2 Mistakes New Parents Make When Putting Baby to Bed

Unsafe Co-Sleeping

Due to the fact that sleeping alongside your new baby and having skin to skin contact are two of the main ways that parents bond with their children, it can be tempting to bring your new baby in your bed and sleep with them right in the middle of you and your partner. It can also be tempting to curl up with your new baby on the couch and take advantage of a good nap while they are also asleep.

But these bad co-sleeping habits can be the most unsafe thing that you can do with you baby for many different reasons.

When you are asleep next to your baby without any sort of assistance, you are taking a great risk of accidental injury to your new baby. You run the risk of your newborn rolling off the bed or being accidentally tangled in the covers or smothered underneath you. You don’t have control of what you do when you are asleep, especially during the postpartum coma-like naps that you take whenever you get the opportunity. Basically, it’s really dangerous to have your baby sleeping near or with you in an uncontrolled situation.

Luckily, there are a lot of good options that still allow you to co-sleep safely with your baby as a new parent. One of the most common options for a new parent is to keep the baby’s crib or bassinet in the parent’s room within arm’s reach. This way there is no risk of accidental injury for the baby while sleeping but you can still be near to and bond with your baby while asleep.

Another great option that is super common is having a sidecar co-sleeper that attaches to your bed and allows you to feel as though you are sharing the same sleeping space without any of the risk of sharing an actual bed with your new baby. There are a lot of great options out there for safe co-sleeping.

Using a Crib Bumper

Despite the amount of warnings that have been released over the years, there are a lot of crib bumpers out there on the market. These are unsafe for your new baby, even though they may seem like they are increasing baby’s safety while they are in their crib.

The fact of the matter is that crib bumpers are now outdated and unnecessary, as they were invented when the bars of cribs were wide enough apart that a baby’s head could fit through them. Nowadays crib bumpers are essentially pointless and actually increase the chances of SIDS or suffocation.

The best way to fix this problem is to ditch the crib bumpers and instead keep nothing in your baby’s crib. Ensure that your cot meets modern safety standards, meaning that the bars are positioned so that accidental entrapment of the baby is not possible. If you are still worried about your baby hitting their head on the slats of the crib or injuring themselves, then consider swaddling when asleep or using bumpers that wrap around the slats of the crib and don’t sit inside the crib.

Conclusion

Being a new parent can be overwhelming, and there are a lot of things that you need to consider. However, taking little advice such as this  about putting baby to bed can make a huge difference in the happiness and safety of you and your baby.