All Natural Mommies

Archive for the ‘Natural Parenting’ Category

A study published in the British Medical Journal claims that co-sleeping is a large factor in SIDS deaths.  The researchers, led by Peter Fleming of St Michael’s Hospital in Bristol, Britain, studied 80 unexplained deaths that occurred in southwestern England from 2003 through 2006.

Fifty-four percent of these babies died while co-sleeping with a parent.   According to the researchers, “”Much of this excess may be explained by a significant… interaction between co-sleeping at recent parental use of alcohol or drugs.” 

Does this study prove that co-sleeping is dangerous and should be avoided?  Absolutely, not!  It proves that there needs to be more education, information, and support given to parents who want or need to co-sleep. 

Sharing sleeping space with your newborn can have many benefits:

• Bonding – Having a parent nearby and responsive to the baby’s needs, makes baby feel safe and comfortable.
• Baby sleeps better – When baby feels safe, she can fall asleep, and stay asleep, easier.  Co-sleeping babies do not have the separation anxiety that keeps so many babies awake and crying in their nurseries.
• Mom sleeps better – Being able to see, hear, and touch baby reassures Mom that baby is okay.  Often, if baby awakens, Mom will need only need to spend a few minutes comforting or feeding baby before they both drift contentedly back to sleep.
• Assists with nighttime breastfeeding – Baby can easily nurse while Mom rests.  This avoids the need to turn on lights as you move through the house.  Lights signal your brain that it is time to be awake.  Keeping the room darkened allows you to fall back to sleep easily.  Moms who co-sleep are also better able to attune themselves to their baby’s breastfeeding patterns.  This attunement helps with breastfeeding at all times!

There are many benefits to sleeping with your infant if it is done safely.   So, how do you keep your baby safe?

• Prevent baby from rolling out of bed- Place baby between Mom and a guardrail fitted snugly to the mattress.  You could also push the bed flush with the wall and place baby between Mom and the wall.   Be sure there are no gaps that can trap baby between the bed and guardrail or wall.  Assess your own situation at home.  If your bed is on rollers and your bedroom floor is hardwood, placing the bed against the wall may not be a safe option.  Dads often sleep heavier than Moms do; so it might not be as safe to sleep with baby between Mom and Dad, at least at first.  After a few months of co-sleeping, however, Dads often develop a better awareness of the baby’s presence.   Some parents prefer to use a co-sleeper bassinet that keeps baby within reach but out of the bed.
• Be aware of pillows, soft blankets, etc and keep them away from baby.  Infants should not sleep with pillows, stuffed animals, or fluffy blankets.  Also, be aware of the softness of your bed.  If you cannot sleep without your extra soft pillow top mattress, consider using a co-sleeping bassinet.
• Bed size is key- Larger beds allow more room for everyone to move, and provide less chance of a parent rolling onto the baby.  King or Queen sized beds are best.  Waterbeds can be dangerous.  The baby can easily roll between the mattress and bed frame.  Waterbeds may also make it easier for a baby to roll under a parent unnoticed.
• Never sleep with your infant after consuming alcohol or drugs, including prescription or over-the-counter medicines that cause drowsiness.  An impaired parent will not have the reflexes and sensitivity needed to be aware of the infant’s presence.  Anything that makes you sleep more soundly than normal should be avoided when co-sleeping.
• Be extra careful when older children sleep in the same bed as an infant.  Older children are likely to sleep soundly and not be aware of the baby’s presence.   Mom should sleep between the infant and any older siblings sharing the bed.

Good old common sense goes a long way!   Take a good look at your family bed and bedroom.  Identify any safety hazards and remove them before adding an infant to the family bed.  Co-sleeping can be enjoyable and beneficial for both the infant and parents.  Be safe and enjoy your time together!

Do you co-sleep?  What other ways do you use to keep your baby safe in the family bed?

Many parents have known that spanking is not a positive form of discipline. Also, many parents believe spanking is not affective. But, now a new study shows a link between spanking and lower IQs.

Here’s the link to Yahoo’s story on the study.

This quote from study researcher Murray Straus speaks volumes:
“Contrary to what everyone believes, being hit by parents is a traumatic experience,” Straus said. “We know from lots of research that traumatic stresses affect the brain adversely.” Also, the trauma could cause kids to have more stressful responses in difficult situations, and so may not perform as well cognitively.

Finally! Someone dares to call spanking traumatic in the mainstream media! Yes, many adults were spanked as children and are mostly healthy, functioning adults. However, I haven’t spoken with one adult he admitted that spanking taught them anything except how to avoid being spanked! Spanking only makes the child do “the right thing” to avoid spanking, not because it’s appropriate behavior.

As parents, our job is to teach our children the rewards and consequences of their own behavior. If you draw on the walls, your crayons get taken away. Instead of coloring in your coloring book, you must spend time cleaning the wall. That’s a much more powerful life lesson than hitting.

Babywearing can benefit the whole family! Here are just a few benefits of babywearing you may or may not have thought of:

· Your baby will be able to see, hear, touch and smell, the one thing that she loves most….YOU or your husband!

· Daddy will be able to participate in the fun. Babywearing is NOT just for moms. Dads find that babywearing is an awesome tool to help them bond with baby (especially if they are feeling left out due to your nursing)!

· Being with your baby will help him or her to be happier and more alert.

· Your baby will have the stimulation that she craves most.

· Your baby will have help with regulating breathing and body temperature.

· You will be with your baby more, promoting bonding, which, in turn, helps you learn to read your baby’s cues.

· Your baby can breastfeed in any babywearing carrier (including a Mei Tai, Pouch, Podeagi, Ring Sling, and Wrap’s).

· Baby Carriers make it possible to go out with your new baby, and not be afraid of other people’s hands or germs coming into direct contact with your new little one.

· You will have wonderful cuddle time that nothing can replace.

· You can smell that sweet new baby smell and kiss that sweet new baby head any time you want!

· You will have the ability to run after other older children while still being connected to your new addition.

· You will have the ability to get out of the house and do things, allowing you to get back to life easier.

· You will have access to places that strollers will not work, such as escalators, gravel paths, the beach, ect – (the list goes on and on).

· Going to amusement parks, church and petting zoo’s becomes so much easier. You don’t have to find somewhere to ‘park’ the stroller and hope that no one takes it.

· Like it or not, we carry our kids A LOT. Babywearing allows you to you to carry them, and still manage to live too.

· New babies LOVE to sleep on momma and dad. It is wonderful to be able to put them in a carrier, and not worry so much about things like SIDs. (While babywearing cannot guarantee SIDS will not or cannot happen, it is very rare, simply because they are so close to you, and you’re not only able to see them but feel them as well. So making sure they are breathing and moving becomes a lot easier than if they are in a crib, swing, or bed.)

As babies turn into toddlers, the benefits of babywearing turns a corner. Most toddlers don’t do much sleeping on us anymore, or need to be held constantly…BUT, the babywearing benefits are similar.

· You can keep a close eye on those wandering feet in parks, zoo’s, air ports, etc.

· You can still nurse in any babywearing carrier.

· Walking in the mall has never been easier.

· You continue to bond with your little one.

· No need to try to figure out how to maneuver a big bulky stroller in and out of garments hanging in the stores.

· It becomes easier to control what little hands can reach.

· Meetings or gatherings become easier when baby can sleep, or nurse in a carrier.

Originally posted on http://www.all-natural-mommies.com