Read The No-cry Sleep Solution for Free Online Page B

matter how tired you are, no matter how tempting the situation seems, please be sure that you put your baby’s safety above all else.
    I’ve gathered safety information from a wide variety of reputable sources and authorities, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Alliance, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths. And from all this, I have created sleeping-safety checklists for your review. Please read this brief section, and give it serious consideration.
    Keep in mind that these lists cover safety issues relating to sleep at home . You should, of course, be aware of many other safety issues—at home and away. Also, because safety precautions are

    Do a Safety Check
    29
    updated constantly—and because all babies (and their families) are different—no checklist is fully complete and appropriate for every child. I ask that you please talk with your pediatrician about your particular baby. Do your homework, and please, put safety first.
    The Foremost Safety Worry: SIDS
    Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is one of the main safety concerns of all parents of babies. SIDS is the sudden and unex-plained death of an infant younger than one year old. SIDS, sometimes known as crib death, is a major cause of death in babies from one month to one year of age. Most SIDS deaths occur when a baby is between one and four months old. The death is sudden and unpredictable; in most cases, the baby seems healthy. Death occurs quickly, usually during sleep. After thirty years of research, scientists still cannot find a definite cause or set of causes for SIDS
    or a way to predict or prevent it. But research has uncovered some factors that appear to reduce the risk, which I have incorporated into the safety information and lists that follow. (This information about SIDS is from the U.S. Public Health Service, American Academy of Pediatrics, SIDS Alliance, and Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs, SIDS “Back to Sleep” Campaign.)
    Back to Sleep
    Many babies may sleep better and longer on their tummies. However, a number of studies have scientifically proved that babies who sleep on their tummies are more susceptible to SIDS. This is a statistical percentage meaning that not every baby who sleeps on her tummy will die of SIDS, and avoiding tummy sleeping is not a 100 percent guarantee against it. Nevertheless, it is the most

    30
    The No-Cry Sleep Solution
    Zoey, three weeks
    important recommendation for you to know about. While a few babies actually benefit from tummy sleeping, back sleeping is safest for most. You’ll need to talk with your pediatrician about your particular baby.
    Several theories support the back-to-sleep recommendation.
    One is that some babies who die of SIDS fall into a deep sleep and do not raise their heads to get oxygen. The other theory is that pressure on a tiny baby’s chest compresses his diaphragm, preventing him from taking sufficiently full breaths. Regardless of the reason, the fact remains that, with all of the unknowns surround-ing SIDS, putting your baby to sleep on her back is the single action that is proven to decrease risk.
    In all of my research, I have been unable to pin down an exact age when belly sleeping is safe. However, most researchers tend to imply that once your baby is holding her head up steadily and rolling from belly to back and back to belly quite easily on her

    Do a Safety Check
    31
    own, you can put her to sleep on her back and then let her find her own comfortable position. In the meantime, once your doctor confirms that back sleeping is best for your baby, please put her to sleep on her back. If you have a little one who resists this sleep position, you can use the following suggestions to encourage back sleeping.
    • Let your baby nap in a car seat, stroller, or infant seat. Sleeping in any of