Here - Health Promotion Agency

The first weeks
Disturbed nights can be very
hard to bear. If you’re bottle
feeding, encourage your
partner to share the feeds.
Many fathers find this a
valuable time for getting to
know their babies. If you’re
breastfeeding, your partner
may be happy to take over
the early morning changing
and dressing so that you can
go back to sleep, or once
breastfeeding is established
he could occasionally give a
bottle of expressed breast
milk. If you’re on your own,
you could ask a friend or
relative to stay for a few days
so that you can sleep.
Don’t give your baby a
pillow or duvet (quilt) until
he or she is one year old.
All the advice we now have for
reducing the risk of cot death and
other dangers, such as suffocation, is
listed below.
•
Always put your baby to sleep
on his or her back.
•
Don’t sleep with your baby in
certain situations (see below).
•
Cut out smoking in pregnancy
and after baby is born (this
applies to fathers too!).
•
•
Don’t let anyone smoke in the
same room as your baby.
Don’t let your baby get too hot
and don’t overheat the room
(see The right temperature,
right).
•
Keep your baby’s head
uncovered in bed – place your
baby in the ‘feet to foot’
position (see picture page 19).
•
•
Don’t sleep on a sofa with your
baby.
If your baby seems unwell, seek
advice promptly.
The safest place for your baby
to sleep is in a cot in your room
for the first six months. While it’s
lovely to have your baby with you
for a cuddle or a feed, it’s safest to
put your baby back in the cot before
you go to sleep. It is dangerous to
share a bed with your baby if you or
your partner:
● are smokers (no matter where or
when you smoke);
● have been drinking alcohol;
● use drugs, take medication that
makes you drowsy;
● are very tired.
There is also a risk that you might
roll over in your sleep and suffocate
your baby, that your baby could get
caught between the wall and the
bed, or could roll out of an adult
bed and be injured. Never sleep with
a baby on a sofa or armchair.
Keep your baby’s head uncovered.
Babies whose heads are covered
accidentally with bedding are at an
increased risk of cot death.
Sleep your baby on a mattress that is
firm, flat, well fitting and clean. The
outside of the mattress should be
waterproof, like PVC. Cover the
mattress with a single sheet. Use
sheets and lightweight blankets but
not duvets, quilts, baby nests,
wedges, bedding rolls or pillows.
To prevent your baby wriggling
down under the covers, place your
baby’s feet at the foot of the cot or
pram. Make the covers up so that
they reach no higher than the
shoulders. Covers should be securely
tucked in so they cannot slip over
the baby’s head.
The right temperature
Small babies aren’t very good at
controlling their own temperature.
It’s just as important to prevent them
getting too hot as it is to avoid them
getting chilled. Overheating can
increase the risk of cot death. Babies
can overheat because of too much
bedding or clothing, or because the
room is too hot.
20