Sleeping with a dangerous pillow for babies

Medical Video: Safe sleep tips for your baby | Risks of swaddling

Pillows are probably the things we need most when sleeping. Many people cannot sleep if they don't use pillows. Pillows make our sleep more comfortable because the position of our head is slightly higher than the body. But what about babies?

Many parents have prepared pillows for their newborn baby. The shape of the pillow for the baby is different from the shape of the pillow usually, there is a U-shaped and there is also a middle part of the pillow is flatter and forms a circle. Many parents think this is done to help form a perfectly round baby head. Is it true that babies need a pillow while sleeping?

Need pillows for babies?

Babies don't need a pillow to sleep. The use of pillows for babies, especially those under one year old, will increase the risk of the baby being exposed sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or sudden death that occurs in infants. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD) recommends not giving pillows to babies under one year of age.

Babies and adults are different. Adults may not be comfortable if they sleep without pillows. As for the baby, the pillow can endanger his life. The pillow can cover the baby's mouth and nose during sleep, which makes it difficult for the baby to breathe. If the baby sleeps without parental supervision and the pillow has long covered his face, the baby may have SIDS. On average, there are 32 infant deaths per year because the pillow is used as a sleeping pad or to support the baby's head. Most of these deaths involve infants aged three months or less.

To reduce the risk of SIDS and fatal events during sleep, you should:

Sleep the baby on his back so that the baby's breathing is not disturbed
Do not cover the baby's head and face while sleeping
Stay away from babies from cigarette smoke
Provide a comfortable environment when the baby sleeps day and night
Sleep the baby in a comfortable bed with the same room as the mother for the first 6-12 months
Give breast milk to babies

When should babies be given a pillow while sleeping?

Pillows are very useful for adults to support their heads so that sleep becomes more comfortable. But for babies, pillows are dangerous. The head of a small baby and baby can't do anything so that if the position of the pillow covers the face of the baby the baby is unable to help himself. Therefore it is recommended not to give pillows to babies.

When is the right time for a baby to sleep with a pillow? You can give a pillow to your baby when he turns 2 years old. At this age, the baby is able to make movements so that if there is a pillow that covers his face, he can get rid of it. Although various kinds of pillows, from shapes, colors, images, are available for your baby, but choose a pillow that is small and flat so that it can support his neck well.

What should be considered so that the baby sleeps comfortably and safely?

Parents usually prepare baby cribs for sleeping babies and fill them with pillows, blankets and baby toys. However, pillows, blankets, and toys actually interfere with the baby's sleep and can have a negative impact on the baby, such as being able to cover the baby's mouth and nose so that the baby's breathing is disrupted. Get rid of all these objects so as not to cover the baby's face so that the baby sleeps more comfortably.

In addition, what must also be considered is the temperature of the room. Don't let the baby cool or overheat. If the weather is cold, you should choose to powder the baby instead of giving him a blanket to give him warmth. It is feared that the blanket will cover the baby's face so that it disturbs the baby's breathing during sleep. Also be careful when membongong baby, give a little looseness so that the baby can still be free to move and not difficult to breathe.

Get used to always placing the baby in his bed when the baby sleeps. This is done to provide comfort to the baby and also so that something unexpected is not done, like a baby falling while sleeping. Also try to install a mosquito net on the baby's bed to prevent it from mosquito bites.

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