Am I right in disagreeing with my sister?
I recently had a baby boy. He is now 2 months old. I have already raised a daughter who is now 15. The mother if my baby has also raised a boy who is now 6 years old. My sister has been helping baby sit some. I have been going round and round with her because she ranted and yelled at me b/c she saw me having him sleep in the car seat with the cozy cover fleece cover on the car seat. My sister didn’t want to go up the stairs when she watched him so she let him sleep in the car seat when she watched him. He got spoiled to the car seat. During the day though, his room is bright, so for darkness, we put the cozy cover on and put the little flap down. There is a space between his face and the flap. Also, there is a gap all the way around the flap, AND I unzipped one side down some for more air. furthermore, we turned a fan on toward the car seat and our home temp is around 70
The baby has slept fine and didn’t get too hot this way several times but she was yelling at me telling me I am suffocating the kid and all this. I told her it is not unsafe and that we would not do anything we considered unsafe. I have been fighting for days with her on this. I finally got him to sleep in the crib. Now my mom is bitching about the way I swaddle him in a blanket and lay him in the crib saying "He can’t move his Arms!!!" WTF! I am so stressed out and sick of the women in my family trying to control everything and stress me out! I told her I was going to post on here and hopefully have proof that it is not unsafe.. to shove in her face cause she is getting on my last nerves!
Tagged with: 6 years • baby boy • car seat • darkness • flap down • gap • google • mom • nerves • proof • script type • several times • sleep • stairs • text javascript
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Everyone in your family will have opinions. It’s part of parenting. Just do what you and your partner consider to be safe. It seems like you have good common sense – so just tell your family "you can do what you want with YOUR children, these are ours."
Well, I don’t know about the cover. Babies CAN get hot quickly and those are really only meant for when you’re outdoors. Get some thick, dark, curtains for his room.
As far as swaddling goes, you’re fine. It obviously isn’t bothering your son, is it? Some babies LIKE being swaddled, and some don’t. If your baby does then go with it. My son wanted to be swaddled until he was 7 months old! We got everything from "He looks like a little mummy" to "It’s like he’s wearing a straight jacket". And our answer always was "He likes it and sleeps better that way"
You are the parent. You know your baby and what he likes and doesn’t like. That’s all it comes down to.
Well first of all your sister should not have spoiled him with the carseat. Carseats are meant for safe transportation of infants, not for sleeping in it for long periods of time.
but anyways, to answer your question as long the baby has enough ventilation to breathe and move around and not suffocate on anything, then you should be ok…
Second, the whole point of swaddling a child is so that they don’t move their arms and in turn feel safe as if still in the mother’s womb.
You are the parent, do what you think is right for your child, if you don’t like what others have to say, then you don’t have to do what they say.
Good luck!!!
wow, if i were you i wouldn’t let them help you anymore.. they sound way to controlling. i don’t think your doing anything unsafe, but i don’t know what you mean by the ‘cozy cover fleece cover’ i let my son sleep in his car seat if he falls asleep in the car, and when i get inside if its still bright i put a blanket over the carrying handle..
and the swaddling thing.. the point of swaddling is so baby wont move around.. lol your mom is crazy!
Nothing you are doing sounds unsafe. Actually, the nurses in the hospital when I had all 4 of mine showed me to wrap the baby tight. It makes them feel safe. They were in a cramped space in the womb so they feel more secure this way. Also, my babies also like sleeping in the car seat. When my babies had trouble sleeping we would take them for rides in the car. After they fell asleep we would just carry them in while still in the car seat and let them sleep. There is nothing wrong with it. I had an ex friend actually call CPS on me because of it and they told me it was fine. If that is how the baby is comfortable then let it be. If you are doing so much t make sure the baby has air then you definitely will not smother it. Also, it keeps the baby on it’s back and lowers the possibility of SIDS. Why would a baby need their arms to move? If you wrap them up tight they can’t scratch their face. Lol. You are doing fine. Don’t let everyone tell you ow to care for YOUR baby. You sound like a great dad in my book. Keep up the good work.
I don’t think that’d be unsafe. Just don’t listen to them. You are his parent. You know what’s safe and what’s not.
Car Seats are for Cars
http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/child_health/car-seats.html
Timothy R. Littlefield, MS, is affiliated with an Arizona clinic that treats plagiocephaly. In an article in the Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics, he notes that 28.6 percent of infants who attended the clinic between 1998 and 2000 spent 1.5 to 4 hours daily in car seats or swings, and nearly 15 percent were in them for more than four hours per day. Another 5.7 percent of infants were allowed to sleep in these devices.1 Littlefield observes that cranial distortion resulting from overuse of car seats and swings is more severe and complex than in children who develop plagiocephaly from back-lying on a mattress. Consequently, he recommends reducing the time spent in car seats and swings, if possible.2
Concern over plagiocephaly also led the American Academy of Pediatrics to suggest in 2003 that infants “should spend minimal time in car seats (when not a passenger in a vehicle) or other seating that maintains supine positioning.”3 When infants must be in a back-lying position, moving their heads occasionally can help reduce pressure and avoid developing a flat spot. The simplest and most effective prevention, however, is to decrease the cumulative time infants spend on their backs.
Poor Positioning For Infants
Plagiocephaly is not the only problem associated with heavy use of car seats. According to Dr. Jeanne Ohm, executive coordinator of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (www.icpa4kids.com), many infants in strollers or car seats constantly tilt their heads to one side or the other. “That’s a good indication that their upper cervical spine is out of alignment,” says Ohm. Short periods spent in a car seat are fine, but “keeping them in that position where it’s easiest for their head just to fall off to the side—that leads to further spinal stress later on in life.” Ohm prefers to see parents carry infants in their arms and use different types of carriers. “Offering a variety of carriers supports correct postural development for the child.”
Kindly tell them that it is your child and therefore you will do what you feel is right because you are a grown man and have already raised children anyways. If he didn’t like it -trust me he would make you aware of it. Some babies like the feeling of being surrounded and bundled up because that is how they were in the womb. My child could not sleep in her bassinet unless it was covered but I only covered it with a sheet. If there is a flow of air through it then I think it is okay. I have had to hang up a dark blue quilt on thier window now because they sleep easier with it. I am in the process of making thier curtains for thier room. If you would like I can make some for your son’s room? I am probably intruding but if you are interested then email me. I just got a sewing machine for christmas so I am loving it. You would have to pay for the fabric and materials. Back to the issue at hand, I am all for parents doing what they feel is right. Like a parents intuition kindof. My husband was very good with our children and he always did what he felt was right. There is something about that bond between parents and children. Parent just know what is best. Hope I helped!