Crib Jumping

A friend of mine recently had a terrifying experience when she walked into her 6 month old son's room to find him straddling the crib rail! Fortunately she managed to catch him before he fell. Probably every mom has "horrors" of her child climbing the crib and falling over the other side. I've heard several moms with stories about their little ones who could climb out of the crib before they were 9 or 12 months! Scary thought for several reasons. One, even if the little folk can work their way over the top of the crib rail, chances are they aren't going to be coordinated enough to come down the other side safely. Then two, and maybe a little selfishly, we mommies would like them to stay contained so that we can get some sleep! Here are a couple tips on keeping your tot safely in his bed. First, take OUT the bumpers! I've read/heard lots of times that while they make a great baby room accessory, they really are dangerous. They pose a suffocation hazard for small infants, and then they morph into steps for bigger babies to use to climb. If you DO use them, once your little one can pull themselves up, it's time for the bumpers to go. One trick that I've used with our son all along, was kind of just an accident. You've heard about the sleep sacks before, we've used one with our baby since he was able to roll over and swaddling no longer worked. They come in heavier and lighter fabrics for different times of year. It's great not to have to worry about him not being covered. However, they also have an added perk of keeping your baby's mobility limited enough that climbing out of the crib is practically impossible! I like them too because without crib bumpers they keep those little legs from getting caught up in the crib slats. So many great pay offs for one little practical product. I'd suggest using these, especially if you have a little monkey living in your house!

Sleep Warm Safely

When our baby was "new" swaddling at night worked wonders! It kept him all tight and bundled just the way he liked it, and it gave us the peace of mind that he wouldn't get cold. As soon as he figured out the rolling over thing though, swaddling was a habit of the past! He would break out just as soon as we put him in and flip over onto his tummy where he prefers to sleep. The "soft bedding" had to go, but what's a mommy to do when she's concerned that her little shaver will freeze all night? If you want to save on the heating bill this ingenious product is a lifesaver! I call it a "bag" but it's called a sleep sac and who knows what else. All I know is that we use it every night, and I know that my bubby will sleep warmly, and the "blanket" won't come off! For the warmer months we used the Gerber sleep blanket, and now that it's cold we have some that are fleece. I plan on using them up through 24 months when hopefully he'll be about ready for a toddler bed and some real live blankets! You should be able to find these in the blanket section at Babies r Us or Target!