Safe Sleep From the Start

Nora's first night home and in her Halo SleepSack Swaddle

Sleep is so important to little ones, and parents!  Keeping babies safe from the very start is important we were lucky enough with Nora to have her at a hospital that also finds sleep safety to be a big priority. Kosciusko Community Hospital (KCH) used the Halo SleepSack Swaddle in the hospital instead of the traditional cotton swaddling blankets.  As an exhausted mom I loved that it was so simple to do, instead of making sure it was just right like with traditional blankets.  We also were given our very own Halo SleepSack Swaddle to take home with us to help keep sleeping as safe as can be. Here are some other tips to keep sleep safe from the start:

Nora after her first bath and getting ready to be wrapped up in her first sleepsack swaddle in the hospital

ALWAYS

• Place baby to sleep on his or her back at naptime and at night time.
• Use a crib that meets current safety standards with a firm mattress that fits snugly and is covered with only a tight-fitting crib sheet.
• Remove all soft bedding and toys from your baby’s sleep area (this includes loose blankets, bumpers, pillows and positioners). The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests using a wearable blanket instead of loose blankets to keep your baby warm.
• Offer a pacifier when putting baby to sleep. If breastfeeding, introduce pacifier after one month or after breastfeeding has been established.
• Breastfeed, if possible, but when finished, put your baby back to sleep in his or her separate safe sleep area alongside your bed.
• Room share, but don’t bed share. Bed sharing can put a child at risk of suffocation.

Safe Sleep from the Start! and beyond

NEVER

• Never put your baby to sleep on any soft surface (adult beds, sofas, chairs, water beds, quilts, sheep skins etc.)
• Never dress your baby too warmly for sleep; keep room temperature 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Never allow anyone to smoke around your baby or take your baby into a room or car where someone has recently smoked.

Halo is currently running a giveaway on their Facebook for Safe Sleep From the Start and are giving away a Halo Bassinet and a Halo SleepSack Swaddle!  Have you seen the bassinet? If not and you are expecting a new baby soon you should check it out.  It looks so nice for those first couple weeks when you are still tired and sore, sadly enough they didn't come out until after Nora was born otherwise it would have been amazing!

Even bigger babies like being swaddled as long as they aren't rolling you can swaddle if baby likes it!