A cradle is the first place where you keep your baby. Towards the end of your pregnancy, you can see your house filling with all baby stuff. One of the most loved baby items is his cradle. He spends most of his time on his bed sleeping, playing, moving his hands and legs, etc. So, you cannot go wrong while picking up the best baby cradle for your little one. Once you invest in a baby cradle and start using it, you should follow some precautions when using a cradle.
Precautions to take while making your baby sleep in a cradle are given below-
- You should remove any decorations that are attached to the cradle in its packing. Things like bows, streamers, strings, etc. These cradle accessories should be especially removed at sleep-time because over-crowding the cradle might suffocate the baby while he is sleeping. Also, babies are curious by nature and they might get hurt if they try to tug at these decorations. So, the airier the cradle will be, the better it is for your baby.
- You shouldn’t add any pillows, soft toys, extra blankets, etc. in the cradle because there is a risk of suffocating the baby. In case your baby loves soft toys in the cradle, make sure that you remove them during his sleep time. There can be a scenario where your baby loves to hug a particular toy while sleeping. If that is the case with your baby, try keeping only that toy in his cradle while he sleeps and remove the other ones.
- Make sure that there are no sharp edges, any broken handles, rough loops, or hardware anywhere on the mattress or the cradle. Your baby is too novice to understand all this. He might get hurt while playing or sleeping.
- Always place the cradle away from blinds, wires, or windows because babies might strangle on cords and get hurt.
- Make sure that the baby is sleeping alone in his cradle. Babies should always be kept on their own surfaces because bed-sharing can cause the risk of SUIDS and other sleep-related deaths.
- Make sure that the crib is empty which means that there are no pads, blankets, bumper pads, toys, pillows, or extra supplies like diapers, wipes, etc. An empty space promotes a good night’s sleep and also ensures that your baby is safe even when he is not supervised. Sometimes during the night time when you have to wake up to change your baby’s diaper, you might leave stuff like a used diaper or wipe in the cradle itself. Make sure you are vigilant all the time and don’t end up doing such mistakes.
- Always invest in a good mattress. Adult mattresses can be hard for babies. They should be on a mattress that is firm but isn’t too hard for him. Also, cover the mattress with a tight-fitted sheet so that the baby doesn’t slip or feel uncomfortable when he takes turns while sleeping. The material of the bedsheet should also be soft and baby-friendly. It shouldn’t have any embroidery that might react with the baby’s skin.
- When you pick up your baby from his cradle to breastfeed him, make sure you put him back in his baby cradle when you are finished nursing.
To conclude
Your baby’s safety and comfort are of utmost importance to you. So, as a parent, you try to do your best when it comes to choosing baby wooden furniture. But a new parent might not be aware of what is right and wrong for the baby. So, it is always better to ask other co-parents or read books that inform you about what all precautions should you take while using a crib or cradle. You can decorate the nursery as much as you want, but always keep the baby cradle empty so that the baby gets enough space to breathe. Also, try to keep the temperature of the room where the cradle is placed, moderate.
Overheating might cause problems. Don’t over-bundle your baby. You can even consider a sleep slack or wearable blanket instead of loose blankets so that you can make sure that your baby is warm in his cradle. Also, don’t just totally ignore your baby while he is sleeping. As a good parent, you should keep checking your baby even when he is sleeping in his cradle to make sure that he doesn’t feel suffocated. SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is very common in small babies. So, always make sure that your baby is comfortable while sleeping. So only buying a good and fancy cradle for your baby is not enough. You have to make sure that you follow some precautions while using a baby cradle. You cannot go wrong here because a small mistake on your end can be life-threatening for the baby.
