Sleep Positioners Good or Bad?

My mother told me to elevate the bed. If you are using a basinette, put a receiving blanket(folded up) under the mattress. If you are using a crib that has the metal sides and levels, just raise the head of the crib 1 notch and that way the babies airway is always open at night. If you raise it higher than that, the baby will slide to the foot of the bed. I only ever used a receiving blanket behind the back to keep them on their side, if I put them on their side. I have never used a wedge. None of my children had a problem sleeping at night with doing that nor from doing that. I hope this helps. Kay

I think it's best to start out not using it and see if your daughter needs one. The less you have to use and buy, the better. If she has a hard time sleeping without one, get it then, but give her the benefit of the doubt to start. Most babies sleep just fine. By the way, I'm a birth doula in Denver and would love to help you have a great birth!

The trouble with sleep positioners is that if the baby manages to roll over she can then become trapped in a poor position that can lead to suffucation. There are a lot of different ideas about what is and is not safe when it comes to raising a child, and you will have to make judgement calls about those choices every day. I, for instance, always used blankets when I put my babies to bed, I know that many people recomend not using a blanket but it gets pretty darn cold in the winter in Idaho so I chose to use blankets! And neither of my two children suffucated because of it. I also let my three year old ride her tricycle without a helmet (gasp!) because she only rides on the sidewalk at extremely slow speeds while I walk along next to her, I REALLY doubt she needs a helmet for that but there are some parents who would think that I am a terrible mother for doing that! I guess that my point is, it's your call, you have to weigh the risks and benefits for yourself and do what you think is right. Good luck with your baby girl!

And as far as the working from home thing, be wary of pryamid schemes that require a large start-up cost from you, I have friends who have sunk hundreds of dollars into selling whatever from home and then have ended up not making a profit at all, but they still "get great discounts" on candles/soap/make-up/tupperware/scrapbooks/whatever other junk that they are trying to sell. If you want to acctually EARN money, be careful about which at home buisness you choose.

As long as your little girl is positioned on her BACK they do not cause sids....also, most items on the market are tested and work against SIDS. I had one and loved it because it was a wedge that helped keep his little arms anchored into their swaddles (strong little guys I had). O had a cheaper on that is available still (after many years) at Babies R Us.
Also, I do work from home....I am a piano teacher...not so lucretive given the economy!

We used a sleep positioner and LOVED it! Our daughter used it in the bassinet and in her crib when she first started sleeping in her crib. It was great, and I will use it again.

I also heard that it helps to PREVENT sids, but it seems you can find research to prove or disprove anything...

Just thought I would give you my opinion... loved our sleep positioner. We even had a second one and had it in our bag for when she'd sleep in the port-a-crib or at Nana or Grandma's house.

Hi K.,

For my first two kids I did not use one. However, with my last three I have just used a very flat pillow and it works great. I also use the Angle Care monitor - if there is no movement in the crib it sets off an alarm, if you are nervous about SIDS this is the best thing ever!! It is a little pricy but worth the peace of mind.

How is your search going for a stay at home job? I would like one too. Any suggestions you have I would love to hear them.

D.

I used one with my son for the first few months and he's still alive (he's 4 months). We got the wedge with the velcro sides at Babies R Us. He liked it cause he could lay on his side which he prefers over his back. I don't see how it could cause SIDS unless you are using it when they can roll over and they roll face down onto it.

I think they are unnecessary unless your child has torticolis (a condition where they favor looking in one direction to the point of developing a tight neck muscle and possibly a flattened head on one side).

my daughter would not sleep flat on her back, so we ended up trying a sleep positioner (the only place she would sleep was her bouncer chair or car-seat... so trying a sleep positioner was what we "solved" this problem with...

anyway, I have not heard anything about SIDS and sleep positioners, but would probably only use one if your baby sleeps better with one. they aren't generally necessary...

good luck with your new baby!

I used a sleep positioner wedge for both my babies and plan on with the next. I am also due in March!! I liked it becuase I was always fearful they would spit-up and choke on it. So it was jsut a personal preference. Once they could roll over, I stopped using it. But I never found that my boys would roll into a different position when they were small - so no fear of ending in a suffocating position.

As for stay at home businesses, I too will be quiting my current job in March and working a small part time business from home. There is a 45 minute on-line presentation I could show you and then you could decide if it is something for you - no pressure. Just respond back to me and we can set something up in the day or evening. I promise not to waste your time.

Good Luck!
Valarie

K.,

I used them as newborns to keep the kids swaddled and feeling cozy.

Once they start rolling it can be problematic in that with some positioners the could move their head so that their nose was against the top of the positioner.

So what I did at that point if I still wanted to us it ...Was put the baby in with their arms above the positioner and only their body and legs swaddled--plus that helped them adjust slowly to no swaddling at night. (keep in mind my daughter has consistently even in the womb slept with her hands above her head).

They are helpful, but not necessary.

Hi K.

my babys sleep positioner saved me from complete exhaustion. he had pretty bad reflux and the only way he would get decent sleep was on his inclined sleep positioner. i recommend it to everyone with a new baby! i used the Dex Secure sleep positioner, it has half memory foam on top of regular foam so it is super soft and molds to baby head, but only can be used while they are pretty little. as soon as baby starts wiggling alot, especially rolling, that is when they can become a hazard. if baby is little enough to be still in a swaddle, then i recommend you go ahead and get one if you think it will help baby sleep, and you too!

for working from home, i make a little extra income, and my mother and sister make a lot more, enough to live on, by working as independent distributors for Shaklee. Shaklee is an organic-product line that covers everything for your home from household cleaners to makeup, to food. here is more info: http://www.shaklee.net/growgreen/distWorkhome the phone number is my Mothers, Sheryl. If you (or any other gals reading this) would like more info please call her and you can just tell her you heard about it from her daughter and wanted to learn more.

Good luck to you!

Hi K.,
As with every piece of information you are going to get regarding raising your beautiful daughter, there are multiple views and opinions. For the most part, it is going to be what works for you and what you are comfortable doing. I was a nanny for many years and used the sleep positioners with the babies. When it came time for my own, I thought we would swaddle her and use a positioner, she had other ideas. She did not like to be swaddled, even in the hospital, she moves constantly in her sleep and likes her freedom. So in her case, it would have been a challenge to use a sleep positioner.
I would suggest, if you would like to give it a try, find someone who doesn't use theirs anymore and they are willing to lend it to you. Or there are some great second hand stores around, it is one of those hit or miss objects that I personally wouldn't have bought new especially since she wouldn't use one.
As far as working from home, I love what I do, it enables me to be there for my daughter but also gives me contact with other adults so that I still feel like I am sane (most of the time!) Feel free to drop me a note if you would like more info, it is low cost and very flexible with the potential for a high return.
Good luck preparing for your new addition, it is a wonderful time!
K.