Motherhood: Yes, SIDS scares me, but…

I still let him sleep with a blanket. Actually, about six to make his big crib a little cozier and one to cover him. Oh, and a stuffed animal rattle.

SIDS: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome aka a parent’s worst nightmare. This is when an infant suddenly and unexpectedly passes away, usually while sleeping.

Most, if not all, parenting resources will say to never let your child sleep with pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, loose linens, crib bumpers, etc. Basically, anything soft and loose that can cover the baby’s nose and mouth and prevent breathing.

I’m terrified of SIDS. I wake up in the middle of the night more than my baby does just to peek in and see if he’s still breathing. It also helps that, even at 6 months, he wakes up every two hours, if not more often, every night. I actually love it when he’s sleeping noisily because at least I know he’s still alive.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t let him sleep with a blanket. He gets cold. Even when we have the heat on. So, I put a blanket over him, but never over his arms and hands. I did that once when he was a few weeks old and napping in his bassinet just a couple of feet from me. He flung up his arms and covered his face. Scared the living daylights out of me. Still, I continue to let him sleep, at night, with blankets.

Fortunately, my little boy is quite a kicker. He loves to kick his legs all around. Whatever I put over his legs will always end up being kicked off. That’s why I use a blanket. As long as I put it over him correctly, he will always kick it off towards his feet by morning. It never goes over his face unless I make the mistake of putting the blanket over his hands or arms.

So, I’m careful. And I let him sleep with a blanket. He sleeps better that way (otherwise he’s up every 30-60 minutes!). And what parent wouldn’t love just a little more sleep every night?