with your baby is not recommended as there are more risks your baby may be exposed to, it is best if they sleep between a wall and yourself to avoid rolling out of the bed. If this is not possible, purchase a safety bed rail so your baby cannot fall out. Your baby is still at their safest when sleeping on their back, but away from pillows, blankets and doonas.

THREE MONTHS TO TWELVE MONTHS

Soon, no matter what position you leave your baby in you'll begin to notice that they are in a different position than you left them. This is when they become more mobile and begin rolling onto their sides which occurs anywhere from twelve weeks to sixteen weeks.

This time can be stressful for parents, but no matter what you do, your baby always moves into the position they feel most comfortable. When this begins to happen, ensuring the environment in which your baby sleeps is safe is easier than rolling them onto their backs each time.

Make sure there is no pillows in the cot or bassinet, all blankets are safe and have no cords or dangles that are unsafe or are a chocking hazard. Keep placing baby with their feet down the bottom of the cot. Remove all soft toys or cot bumpers from the cot. Make sure your mattress fits the cot and there are no spaces between it and the sides of the cot. The mattress should also be firm and approved and passed all baby standard tests. Ensure all blankets are tucked in or that your baby cannot pull them up to smother themselves.

You may want to keep moving your baby back onto their back to ensure they remain safe, but this will depend on how soundly they sleep. A very handy item for parents to have at this time is a baby sleeping bag. So if the baby happens to wriggle out from under their blanket, they will still remain warm no matter their eventual sleeping position.

As parents we want to ensure we are providing our children with a safe environment at all times. This includes a safe environment when awake, and a safer one for sleeping. Using the back position for sleeping, which has been recognized for lowering the incidence of SIDS and ensuring you take other safety measures will help protect your baby and provide them a safe sleeping environment.

Learn more about this author, R.L Hanlon.
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