# baby blankets frowned upon



## Kathie (Mar 29, 2011)

It looks like I should stop making blankets for the babies in my family. It's amazing that previous generations lived to reproduce.

http://www.wbay.com/story/27512361/too-many-infants-still-sleep-with-blankets-study

I don't ever remember anyone having a pillow in a crib though. It's wonderful they have cut the number of crib deaths but once a baby can turn over, they are going to sleep in whatever position is most comfortable. Wouldn't a blanket be okay as well once they are moving around and using their hands to manipulate things.


----------



## Buttons (Feb 11, 2011)

You know what they can do with there study. Next they will be saying they shouldn't sleep in any kind of clothing. I don't pay no attention to there stupid studies.


----------



## pilotskeemsmom (Oct 14, 2011)

Buttons said:


> You know what they can do with there study. Next they will be saying they shouldn't sleep in any kind of clothing. I don't pay no attention to there stupid studies.


 :thumbup: :thumbup:


----------



## Buttons (Feb 11, 2011)

When we were born, they used all that and more on us and were still here. They had lead paint in those days and both my two older brothers got lead poisoning but their still here. I just don't understand.


----------



## Knit crazy (Mar 13, 2013)

I heard all about no blankets in the crib when my grandson was born. Then reality hit, and blankets I'd made began to be used as my grandson got older. I am making him a little larger blanket for Christmas. He will be 9 months old, and can roll over, sit up, and is trying to stand.


----------



## Rowesmary (May 2, 2013)

I'm guessing 99.999% of people living today slept with on their stomachs with blankets. What is to keep them from choking on their burp up if they are on their backs?


----------



## Rowesmary (May 2, 2013)

I'm guessing 99.999% of people living today slept with on their stomachs with blankets. What is to keep them from choking on their burp up if they are on their backs?


----------



## peppered (May 16, 2014)

I remember when my neighbor had a baby, he slept mostly on his tummy-it was recommended, which I was always against that. Just didn't seem right. That was 30 years ago. Now they claim it's not good idea.
Go figure.


----------



## galaxycraft (Feb 15, 2011)

IMO - Psstttt, :roll: :roll: 

Knit on. If the parents don't want the blanket in the crib while the baby is sleeping, they will remove it.
Why should the parents - and the baby - be deprived of your loving gifts?


----------



## GC_Bonnie (Jul 10, 2013)

Wow!!!!!! Another tidbit of advice that seems kind of dumb to me, but who knows.


----------



## 84275 (Jan 25, 2013)

I've never known anyone whose used a pillow in a crib/cot. My 3 have had blankets with no problems, I've knitted blankets for my Grandson which my daughter uses for his cot. I know now they say lay the baby at the bottom of the cot, but when my 3 were older they laid at the top without any problems. I've always said IMO the majority who do these ridiculous studies have never had children themselves. My family will continue to use blankets. We were the same with lead paint and non of us had problems. Since my DD had our GS I've been shocked at advise midwives (with no children) have given her. Examples - Bottles need to be room temperature not warm, do not give water or juice for the first 5 months, do not give gripe water or colic drops for 6 months, if they have problems opening their bowels, fold their legs up into the foetal position and press towards hips a few times (I have never heard that in my life). I'm not going to go into the things the midwife said (again no children of her own) when DD was in labour.


----------



## margoc (Jul 4, 2011)

I tried the 'sleep on their back' with my son. He slept HORRIBLY!! Once I put him on his stomach he slept all night -- and that was at 6 weeks -- best thing I ever did (he's now 10). I even put blanket over him 

We all survived metal slides, swings with chains instead of rope, drank water from the hose...I could go on and on


----------



## DivaDee (Jan 21, 2011)

I don't understand the no water. I was shocked when my first grandchild was born. All my kids had a small bottle of water during the day, when they thought they were hungry, but just needed something to drink.


----------



## galaxycraft (Feb 15, 2011)

margoc said:


> I tried the 'sleep on their back' with my son. He slept HORRIBLY!!


I personally am one who could never sleep on my back, even as an infant.
Put me on my side or stomach and I could breath better and more comfortable.
Even today I have a hard time breathing if I lay on my back for too long; mostly sleep on my side.

Do what is comfortable for the baby.
Each one of us are different. Babies will tell you when they are uncomfortable.
And having babies on their backs will indeed pose its' own risk of choking/inhaling their own vomit.
BTW - SIDS is Still an unknown/unexplainable death.
They are still grasping at straws and doing alot of guessing.
It could have been the babies time to go.
A shutdown of the brain signals saying to breath.
It could have been --- many things.


----------



## 4grammy4 (Aug 22, 2011)

My DD does not use blankets in cribs. However, she does use a blanket while rocking GS. Older brother has a pillow in his bed and also uses a blanket in bed. Having a nephew, our first GS die of SIDS when DD was only eleven has contributed to her high degree of vigilance when caring for her young family.


----------



## Mercygirl76 (Dec 30, 2012)

margoc said:


> I tried the 'sleep on their back' with my son. He slept HORRIBLY!! Once I put him on his stomach he slept all night -- and that was at 6 weeks -- best thing I ever did (he's now 10). I even put blanket over him
> 
> We all survived metal slides, swings with chains instead of rope, drank water from the hose...I could go on and on


 :XD: :XD: :thumbup: :thumbup: And that water from the hose on a hot summer's day was like nectar from the gods!

I'm with you. I was put on my stomach and prefer to this day to sleep on my stomach. If I sleep on my side, I toss and turn all night long.

I listened to the doctors with my boys and tried to teach them to sleep on their backs. They were horrible sleepers, turning around the bed like the hands of a clock and continued to be horrible sleepers until they were about 4, when they each found stomach sleeping on their own. It seems that I hear more new mothers complaining about colic and acid reflux in their babies today. I wonder if the rise in colic and acid reflux in babies has to do with them sleeping on their backs.


----------



## galaxycraft (Feb 15, 2011)

Mercygirl76 said:


> It seems that I hear more new mothers complaining about colic and acid reflux in their babies today. I wonder if the rise in colic and acid reflux in babies has to do with them sleeping on their backs.


It could very well be.
IMO - more like the baby being put to bed after eating.
Even as adults we don't do that, so why do we do it to our babies?


----------



## jbandsma (Mar 6, 2011)

Rowesmary said:


> I'm guessing 99.999% of people living today slept with on their stomachs with blankets. What is to keep them from choking on their burp up if they are on their backs?


Well, the recommendation isn't for on their backs, either. It's to put them in a side sleeping position.


----------



## disgo (Mar 2, 2013)

Protocols are an attempt to cut down on law suits coming in backlash to shareholders no longer willing to pay out claims they felt were exorbitant. There are many now that are doing research funded by these insurers/shareholders that are "picking at straws" trying to come up with a definitive answer to SIDs. I can and have felt much empathy for those who have gone through this ordeal in life. My sister's first grandson (first for all us siblings) was born still born and estimated to have died the day before due date. When nephew and NIL were considering a law suit against the clinic I sat with them for sometime and went over all the records they had presently. Right away a big red flag went up when on her last scheduled appointment check the question of the unborn infant moving was circled. When I asked NIL what her response was "I thought I had felt him moving but he was just quiet a lot then (???)". I explained the nurse circled the question to cover her license since she obviously failed to examine for active movements since NIL gave the answer instead of saying "I'm not sure" which would have put the burden on the rushed office nurse to perform that exam.

The original theory of aspiration was based on an older infant/child since newborns are made anatomically to deal with such issues. Their oropharynx changes with their skull plates fusing so the largest portion (head) can pass through the birth canal. Even now aging I can confess I'm returning to that state more than I would like to. Embryology has more to do with this situation since mammals are not born from independent hard covered eggs which do not require the being to go through a birth canal.


----------



## impatient knitter (Oct 5, 2011)

I found my last child dead in her crib at the age of 2 months and 15 days. She was completely wrapped up in a blanket when I found her.

Later, when I spoke in depth with my pediatrician, I asked him if she could have suffocated, and he said, "Emphatically not! First of all, she could breathe _through_ the blanket, unless it was lined with plastic, which I presume it was not. (Of course it was not!) And...if she managed to get herself _into_ that position, she could also have gotten herself out."

He cared for my other three children throughout their childhoods AND their teen years, and he never failed me--or them! I had every bit of faith in him and always thought he was a wonderful doctor. I have no reason to not believe what he told me was the truth!!


----------



## NY Hummer (Oct 16, 2012)

DivaDee said:


> I don't understand the no water. I was shocked when my first grandchild was born. All my kids had a small bottle of water during the day, when they thought they were hungry, but just needed something to drink.


Thank you for saying that about how you gave your kids water!!
My niece looked at my sister like she was from Mars when suggested water for a drink and said:
- Water? WHY would you give THAT to a baby???

Yes, my sister and I back in the dark ages gave our babies water - I guess what we didn't know didn't hurt us!!!
LOL!


----------



## jbandsma (Mar 6, 2011)

dccjb said:


> I've never known anyone whose used a pillow in a crib/cot. My 3 have had blankets with no problems, I've knitted blankets for my Grandson which my daughter uses for his cot. I know now they say lay the baby at the bottom of the cot, but when my 3 were older they laid at the top without any problems. I've always said IMO the majority who do these ridiculous studies have never had children themselves. My family will continue to use blankets. We were the same with lead paint and non of us had problems. Since my DD had our GS I've been shocked at advise midwives (with no children) have given her. Examples - Bottles need to be room temperature not warm, do not give water or juice for the first 5 months, do not give gripe water or colic drops for 6 months, if they have problems opening their bowels, fold their legs up into the foetal position and press towards hips a few times (I have never heard that in my life). I'm not going to go into the things the midwife said (again no children of her own) when DD was in labour.


Not as bad as the advice my dil got on the birth of her daughters (yes, she got it twice, 4 years apart) To NEVER, ever let their father diaper them because it would lead to him molesting them. And this was in a military hospital both times although in different parts of the country.

And now we have younger parents who won't let anyone hold the baby unless they use hand sanitizer first. (Good way to produce super bugs since it doesn't kill all the germs and the ones who are left to breed are the ones immune)


----------



## run4fittness (May 22, 2011)

Considering humas has survived until this time I wonder if we should really put much stock in these surveys.


----------



## bakrmom (May 30, 2011)

galaxycraft said:


> IMO - Psstttt, :roll: :roll:
> 
> Knit on. If the parents don't want the blanket in the crib while the baby is sleeping, they will remove it.
> Why should the parents - and the baby - be deprived of your loving gifts?


Exactly! there are many other ways to use a blanket or quilt!


----------



## elly69 (May 3, 2013)

When we were young and there were new babies in the home we used a single bed blanket that went under the mattress and folded twice over baby. The mattress was horsehair and the baby was put down on alternative sides after feeding. The baby was also wrapped in something so it's arms were inside and with the very new baby a nappy was wrapped round it's legs. We survived somehow


----------



## dearyou37 (Jul 6, 2014)

Keep knitting and gifting baby blankets, they are still very much appreciated. There are still plenty of times parents use them. I use baby blankets, but my baby has never slept with one in her crib. We use them in the car seat, in the swing, and when holding her - all places she is supervised. Why risk it when we KNOW blankets in cribs can increase the risk of SIDS?

Reflux and colic have nothing to do with how the baby sleeps. Reflux is caused by an immature esophageal sphincter and a relatively short esophagus. Colic is now being called the period of PURPLE crying - PURPLE being an acronym. I'm sure some of you who make hats for hospitals have seen requests for purple hats. It's a reminder of the PURPLE period, which is something most babies go through and isn't caused by anything other than being born.

Safe sleep is important, it's nothing to scoff at. Times have changed. There was a time when nobody wore seat belts and nobody used infant car seats. Are we going to forgo those things just because most of those people were fine? No, we wear seat belts and put babies in car seats, just like we put them to sleep on their backs with no blankets or pillows.


----------



## galaxycraft (Feb 15, 2011)

dearyou37 said:


> Reflux and colic have nothing to do with how the baby sleeps. Reflux is caused by an immature esophageal sphincter and a relatively short esophagus.


http://www.webmd.com/children/infants-children
(gastroesophageal reflux disease). GERD is a condition that causes the upward movement of stomach content, including acid, into the esophagus and sometimes into or out of the mouth.
What Causes Reflux in Babies and Children?
Most of the time, reflux in babies is due to a poorly coordinated gastrointestinal tract. 
Many infants with the condition are otherwise healthy; however, some infants can have problems affecting their nerves, brain, or muscles. 
According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, a child's immature digestive system is usually to blame and most infants grow out of GERD by the their first birthday.

http://www.webmd.com/children/infants-children?page=2
What Are the Treatments for Acid Reflux in Infants and Children?
There are a variety of lifestyle measures you can try for acid reflux in babies and older children:
For babies:
**Elevate the head of the baby's crib or bassinet*.
**Hold the baby upright for 30 minutes after a feeding*.
*Thicken bottle feedings with cereal (do not do this without your doctor's approval).
*Feed your baby smaller amounts of food more often.
*Try solid food (with your doctor's approval).

For older children:
**Elevate the head of the child's bed*.
**Keep the child upright for at least two hours after eating*.
*Serve several small meals throughout the day, rather than three large meals.
*Make sure your child is not overeating.
*Limit foods and beverages that seem to worsen your child's reflux such as high fat, fried or spicy foods, carbonation, and caffeine.
*Encourage your child to get regular exercise.
..................
Colic
Long periods of crying for no apparent reason, when you have checked other causes such as food, changing, and have tried comforting.
Colic is extreme crying in a baby between 3 weeks and 3 months of age who has no other health problems.
It can be upsetting to have a healthy baby who cries no matter what you do. 
But it is normal for some babiesand temporary. Your baby will grow out of it.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/colic/basics/causes/con-20019091
Causes - By Mayo Clinic Staff
The cause of colic is unknown. 
Researchers have explored a number of possibilities, including allergies, lactose intolerance, changes in the normal bacteria found in the digestive system, a digestive system that hasn't fully developed, anxious parents, and differences in the way a baby is fed or comforted. 
Yet it's still unclear why some babies have colic and others don't.

Purple crying is a new term being used in place of "colic".
http://www.purplecrying.info/what-is-the-period-of-purple-crying.php
Dr. Ronald Barr, a developmental pediatrician who has likely done more studies on infant crying than anyone in the world, 
*came up with the phrase the Period of PURPLE Crying*.
His idea was to explain this phase to parents of new babies so they would know it was normal and they would be encouraged that it would come to an end.


----------



## MGT (Oct 6, 2011)

Lose a baby to SIDS and then you'll know the value of this advice. While the exact cause isn't known and not all SIDS deaths can be prevented, there has been a dramatic drop in places where parents put their baby to bed alone, on their back, in a crib. Why take a chance? Your baby isn't able to choose.


----------



## Kaitlyn25 (Dec 30, 2013)

My aunt never put a blanket in my cousin's cribs... I am pretty sure I slept with one


----------



## galaxycraft (Feb 15, 2011)

MGT said:


> Lose a baby to SIDS and then you'll know the value of this advice. While the exact cause isn't known and not all SIDS deaths can be prevented,
> 
> *there has been a dramatic drop in places where parents put their baby to bed alone, on their back, in a crib.*
> 
> Why take a chance? Your baby isn't able to choose.


I can not see how on this earth anyone can make that type of determination.
Many factors comes into play, that can lower the SIDS count.
Environmental factors.
Prenatal care. (Maybe women are receiving better care and actually being committed to those follow-up exams).
Mothers food intake while pregnant.
Biological factors of both parents.
Developmental growth of the unborn child.
Etc.

And I feel that "SIDS" has been around for a couple hundred of years (if not longer).
Unless of course the world was exposed to some sort of chemical warfare, and it is now just dissipating.
...............................................
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudden_infant_death_syndrome
SIDS is a diagnosis of exclusion and should be applied to only those cases in which an infant's death is sudden and unexpected, and remains unexplained after the performance of an adequate postmortem investigation, including:
*an autopsy (by an experienced pediatric pathologist, if possible);
*investigation of the death scene and circumstances of the death;
*exploration of the medical history of the infant and family.

After investigation, some of these infant deaths are found to be caused by accidental suffocation, hyperthermia or hypothermia, neglect or some other defined cause.
*>>So did NOT covering the baby cause the hypothermia?<<*

Australia and New Zealand are shifting to the term "sudden unexpected death in infancy" (SUDI) for professional, scientific, and coronial clarity.

The term SUDI is now often used instead of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) because some coroners prefer to use the term 'undetermined' for a death previously considered to be SIDS. 
*This change is causing diagnostic shift in the mortality data*.

In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently proposed that such deaths be called "sudden unexpected infant deaths" (SUID) and that SIDS is a subset of SUID.


----------



## galaxycraft (Feb 15, 2011)

MGT said:


> Lose a baby to SIDS and then you'll know the value of this advice. While the exact cause isn't known and not all SIDS deaths can be prevented,


Yes it is horrible. And there are many deaths of many causes where we always are prone to question ... what if? ... If only I had ...

If no one knows the actual cause, how can we be so certain (positive and without a doubt) that this is a "cure" or "prevention"?

SIDS is a fairly new term to label - died in their sleep aimed at babies.
This can happen at any age, from pre-birth to old age, to anyone who has been otherwise healthy.


----------



## BBatten17 (Dec 15, 2012)

Rowesmary said:


> I'm guessing 99.999% of people living today slept with on their stomachs with blankets. What is to keep them from choking on their burp up if they are on their backs?


I totally agree with you!!! I always put all three of my kids to bed on their tummies when they were infants for that exact reason. When my first was born (1978) it was pretty much the norm. I also had bumper pads in the crib, the whole nine yards. My other two were born in 1991 and 1993, and if I remember correctly, the talk was to put them on their backs. Well, I didn't, I was just too worried about them choking on spit up. I covered them all with blankets, too.


----------



## BBatten17 (Dec 15, 2012)

impatient knitter said:


> I found my last child dead in her crib at the age of 2 months and 15 days. She was completely wrapped up in a blanket when I found her.
> 
> Later, when I spoke in depth with my pediatrician, I asked him if she could have suffocated, and he said, "Emphatically not! First of all, she could breathe _through_ the blanket, unless it was lined with plastic, which I presume it was not. (Of course it was not!) And...if she managed to get herself _into_ that position, she could also have gotten herself out."
> 
> He cared for my other three children throughout their childhoods AND their teen years, and he never failed me--or them! I had every bit of faith in him and always thought he was a wonderful doctor. I have no reason to not believe what he told me was the truth!!


I'm so very sorry for your loss.


----------



## dijewe (Mar 1, 2011)

my kids never slept in cribs, they slept in bed with me where I breastfed them for the first 2- 3 years of their lives. Yeah I was labelled a hippy, a jersey cow and a bunch of other derogatory names. The conservative bunch keeled over backwards when they heard that my other kids were around when I breastfed and no, none of them turned into sexual deviants. Only a weirdo would consider breastfeeding as a sexual act anyway. My mother and mother in law ( and I am sure there were others) tried their best to convince me that babies need to be abandoned in their own bedrooms and one should only breastfeed for the first 6 months. All cods wallop of course - i did what was instinctive. Humans are the only species who isolate their newborns after birth - sticking them in a cold clinical crib instead of next to mamas body where smells and sounds are familiar.


----------



## dearyou37 (Jul 6, 2014)

I don't see why it matters to anyone whether the blanket they made is used in a crib, or if the parents save it for when baby is supervised. If you want to imagine a little baby snuggled with a blankie in their crib, go for it. Just don't judge parents for following the current recommendations of NOT putting blankets in cribs. Your gift will still be used and appreciated, if not exactly how you imagined it. How other people put their babies to bed should not concern you this much.

You can think whatever you want of SIDS, back sleeping, or blankets. Those of us actually having and raising babies in this century will do as we see fit.

I've heard stories about how people once brought their babies home from the hospital in their arms, in a laundry basket, or in a box. I've even heard that people used to lay babies on the floor in the back of the car! So are we to throw out our car seats? I mean honestly. Jeez.


----------



## skinny minnie (Jan 4, 2012)

Buttons said:


> You know what they can do with there study. Next they will be saying they shouldn't sleep in any kind of clothing. I don't pay no attention to there stupid studies.


That being the case all 5 of my children should have died. A friends Dil spouts all kinds of garbage like this. She said to me we did everything wrong. How did our kids survive


----------



## bundyanne07 (Aug 24, 2014)

It's amazing that our two children ever survived.
I brought both of them home in my arms, gave them water to drink, even thickened our sons milk with baby cereal as milk was just not enough nourishment for him.
They both slept in bassinets to begin with then went into cots. No pillows to begin with but always had a blanket.
They had home made baby vegetables and puddings from about 6 months, crawled around the floor - my goodness how did they ever survive the germs they may have collected on their hands!!!
I sometimes wonder who on earth pays these ??brains??? to come up with what I consider utter rubbish.
we must have ALL been wonderful parents to have had reasonably healthy 'normal' babies who have grown into what we consider 'normal' adults.


----------



## charbaby (Mar 24, 2013)

I'm a nurse for 39 years & worked pediatrics for a time. We always learn new things. Some make sense. But good grief. It's a wonder my siblings & I lived beyond the age of 1. Blankets, baby aspirin, no trophies or ribbons for doing what was expected. We had chores that involved cleaning with stuff that is probably forbidden today. I was in charge of my younger sister when Mom went to store by the time I was 11 or 12. Strict parents. None of us got sick or injured. And we all came out of our financially strapped, strict Catholic disciplined childhood in a trailer park with college educations, jobs, decent health & no criminal records. OK. Dress the baby in a sleeper & leave the pillows & poufy bedding out. But once they start moving & turning your efforts at control will bethwarted. Good luck. Just knit larger blankets for when they're older.


----------



## kiwiannie (Jul 30, 2011)

Some of the so called studies are way over the top,most babies i know don't or should not have a pillow,they are also experts at kicking off their blankets,you are always tucking them in,i always knitted nice warm sleepingbags with sleeves.


----------



## MariElyn (Jul 8, 2014)

That's what I always wondered!


Rowesmary said:


> I'm guessing 99.999% of people living today slept with on their stomachs with blankets. What is to keep them from choking on their burp up if they are on their backs?


----------



## janis blondel (May 20, 2011)

Things change with each generation. When I had my girls they slept on their tummies musn't do that now????? It's the same with weaning it goes up and down three months, six months etc. The only person eho knows best is the MUM you know your child when things are right and when they are not. There is something to be said for mums intuition.


----------



## dribla (Nov 14, 2011)

My daughter recently told me that children are different now. Not sure how, they have one head, two arms, two legs just like normal. 

Di
+


----------



## cafeknitter (Apr 2, 2013)

I just heard about this nonsense for the first time. A woman in my knitting class is becoming a first time grandma. She was told by her daughter that the blanket she knitted will not go in the crib. She specifically pucked a color that would match her daughter's decor.


----------



## rujam (Aug 19, 2011)

What I can't understand is why they say to lie a baby on its back. I did this till my son nearly choked on his own vomit.


----------



## pinkladydew (Oct 21, 2011)

There are so many other ways to use a blanket , on the floor when they are playing , over a car seat, over a stroller. ...
To many to list here i would continue to knit blankets and not worry over if it will be used


----------



## sbel3555 (Apr 11, 2011)

my mother had 7 kids, when I had my 2 sons she told me to prop them on their side. Never had a problem and they where covered with a blanket. If they are not warm, they will not sleep


----------



## yooperdooper (Jan 3, 2013)

a cuddle sack would keep them warm and not be by their head


----------



## missjg (Nov 18, 2012)

Back when we always 'rotated' the baby so they would not have a flat head from laying in one position too long. Always used blankets and tilted the bed just a little so not completely flat to avoid choking. Never used pillows seemed common sense. (whatever happened to that I have no clue). As babies they would automatically roll onto their stomachs with their feet pulled up into a fetal position all by themselves. Blankets can still be used for wrapping baby when traveling or rocking . Always had on floor for baby to play with toys on. Common sense again goes a long way.


----------



## Morgan Girl (Jun 8, 2014)

I say go ahead and knit away, as most knitted baby blankets are not a dense material, I should think that they would be 'breathable'. My sister was almost a SIDS baby and it had nothing to do with the blanket in her crib. She had a severe allergic reaction to milk (pre formula days!), and if the landlord hadn't begged my Mom to "just let me have a peek at her napping, I promise I won't wake her".......only for them to discover her almost blue in the face, and going into anaphylactic shock! TG that the landlord wanted to peek at a sleeping baby, otherwise by the next time my Mom went to check on her, she would have been dead! And those kind of symptoms go totally away after someone dies.......!


----------



## flitri (Jun 13, 2011)

I had a pillow in my sons cot from the time I brought him home from the Hospital. It was a Tea Tree pillow and you could breathe through it, his little mattress was also Tea Tree. I did lay him on his back as that is what my Mother and Grandmother did. I had no trouble with him suffocating or unable to breathe and he is 37 now. I also had sheets and blankets on him. I wonder how he has survived.


----------



## midtlie (Mar 19, 2012)

All of my children slept on their tummys, my oldest could turn over at 5 weeks so even if I put her on her back she would turn over. She would kick off her covers so she slept in a bunting.


----------



## Connie W (Aug 3, 2011)

run4fittness said:


> Considering humas has survived until this time I wonder if we should really put much stock in these surveys.


Not all survive.


----------



## E P Guinn (Jun 1, 2014)

Kathie said:


> It looks like I should stop making blankets for the babies in my family. It's amazing that previous generations lived to reproduce.
> 
> http://www.wbay.com/story/27512361/too-many-infants-still-sleep-with-blankets-study
> 
> I don't ever remember anyone having a pillow in a crib though. It's wonderful they have cut the number of crib deaths but once a baby can turn over, they are going to sleep in whatever position is most comfortable. Wouldn't a blanket be okay as well once they are moving around and using their hands to manipulate things.


Not me! I have knitted or crochet baby blankets for babies since my oldest boy was born. He was born in 1951. I knitted 5 blankets this year for baby showers. 13 so far for my yet unborn gr gr grandkids. My niece said just last week..."Aunt Veta this is the nicest blanket ever. I just love it" as she wrapped it around her daughter. " I've just about worn it out. "Her baby girl is 6 mo old." Lets see....Coffee was bad for you but now isn't. Chocolate was bad but now is good for you etc.


----------



## melitorres (Jul 30, 2013)

Oh brother!!!! Where's the eye rolling icon!!! So so dumb!!! I had to cover my boys when they were babies. Both slept in different positions and both would constantly kick off their blankets throughout the night because often times it was too cold. My youngest, now almost 4, slept on his stomach and preferred a pillow to sleep on. Not once did I worry about that. People are just too damn uptight in this world


----------



## Jean Keith (Feb 17, 2011)

This warning is nothing new -- it runs with each new generation of infants. It worked on me when I first became a parent and I got rid of the bumper pad. Eventually common sense has to come in to play and the realization that baby blankets will always be with us.


----------



## Kathie (Mar 29, 2011)

I made a purple blanket as a gift for my first GGS that went along with the toys in my avatar. I knew it wouldn't be used in the crib but thought maybe they would use it when they were taking him out and about or when he was in his car seat. That hasn't happened either. They have special things to zip him in for the car seat. Maybe it will get used sometime in the future. I don't think I will be making anymore blankets.
I'm glad they are following the recommendations regarding preventing SID's but I would have liked to see them use the blanket in other situations.


----------



## flhusker (Feb 17, 2011)

Amazing we or our parents or our grandparents survived. With all these studies we've been doing it all wrong for centuries. What a bunch of you know what!

These researchers need to get real jobs in the real world where real people live rather than living in their Ivory Towers.


----------



## macde (Aug 26, 2011)

That advise sure wouldn't fly when my children were young. We lived in an old farm house that was very drafty. The older ladies in the family gave advise that was followed, not a mid wife or Doctor. They were reserved for serious issues.


----------



## dixygrl (Jun 28, 2012)

I understand why, however, there is nothing that looks so forlorn as a little child laying on a mattress alone.


----------



## sam0767 (Jun 20, 2012)

My neice had a baby 3 weeks ago and since she has been home poor Oluvia has had a rough time especially at night waking up screaming and crying. My neice is nursing. She changed drinking regular milk to almond milk. Have her on the gas drops and has done everything she can. The final conclusion the dr has said is that Olivia has a ubder developed digestive system and will grow out of it eventually. And to keep giving her the gas drops and do everything she is doing. 

I laid all my babys on their stomachs when I laid them down. To me it makes sense to do it that way because if they spit up they wont choke on it. I never did under stand that theory. My kids are all in their 30's. My youngest is 28. They all survived and slept good.


----------



## Ronie (Jan 21, 2011)

I used a blanket on my baby and my baby's babies!! if the parents don't want to cover their baby's then they can put the blanket down for them to lay on top of!!! or do they feel the hard floor is better for them now...


----------



## KittyMomma (Dec 12, 2012)

I keep wondering how these babies stay warm. We lived up north when our kids were babies. The house was kept cool at night. I also put them on their tummies and they seemed to sleep better.

Also heard yesterday about "dangerous" toys. One they said was scooters. Kids go fast and fall off. DH just started laughing. Says he rode one with having a helmet and knee pads and survived. We also had roller skates and skated on the street or sidewalk. No pads or helmets. Rode our bikes down a steep hill for fun, again without "safety" equipment. Wonder how we managed to live to be in our 70's??


----------



## dijewe (Mar 1, 2011)

sam0767 said:


> My neice had a baby 3 weeks ago and since she has been home poor Oluvia has had a rough time especially at night waking up screaming and crying. My neice is nursing. She changed drinking regular milk to almond milk. Have her on the gas drops and has done everything she can. The final conclusion the dr has said is that Olivia has a ubder developed digestive system and will grow out of it eventually. And to keep giving her the gas drops and do everything she is doing.
> 
> I laid all my babys on their stomachs when I laid them down. To me it makes sense to do it that way because if they spit up they wont choke on it. I never did under stand that theory. My kids are all in their 30's. My youngest is 28. They all survived and slept good.


Yes it's probably colic. My one grandson was like that.i used to take the baby so DIL could get some rest - put him in bed with me and rubbed his little tummy until he fell asleep. She never wanted to do the same , probably thought it was old fashioned and primitive.


----------



## stitcheswarden10 (Jul 24, 2014)

Bullseye Rosemary


----------



## stitcheswarden10 (Jul 24, 2014)

Oops should be Rowesmary


----------



## Sherriea (Mar 18, 2011)

I still make baby blankets. My kids use them while the baby is in the swing, car seat or stroller - so don't stop making them - they make such a nice keepsake.


----------



## thelma1 (Nov 22, 2014)

Surely, the 'experts' tell us many things we didn't know fifty years ago and we raised our babies without all the 'what if's'. Always thankful to God for taking care of our children as some of us were nearly children when we gave birth to them. But I would inject here that on the tummy is the very best place for a baby IF the mattress is firm and has no dip in the middle, and if there is NO blanket near the head where it could accidently get pulled close to the face to possibly smother the baby. I always turned my baby onto the stomach while in my lap to burp as the burp product could strangle the baby if on the back. Sometimes old wives tales and methods are tried and true and yet today they think a young parent is abusing the baby if they turn it on the stomach. Glad to have raised my five without all the rules. Good old common sense is fine with me.


----------



## thelma1 (Nov 22, 2014)

Surely, the 'experts' tell us many things we didn't know fifty years ago and we raised our babies without all the 'what if's'. Always thankful to God for taking care of our children as some of us were nearly children when we gave birth to them. But I would inject here that on the tummy is the very best place for a baby IF the mattress is firm and has no dip in the middle, and if there is NO blanket near the head where it could accidently get pulled close to the face to possibly smother the baby. I always turned my baby onto the stomach while in my lap to burp as the burp product could strangle the baby if on the back. Sometimes old wives tales and methods are tried and true and yet today they think a young parent is abusing the baby if they turn it on the stomach. Glad to have raised my five without all the rules. Good old common sense is fine with me. :roll:


----------



## impatient knitter (Oct 5, 2011)

BBatten17 said:


> I'm so very sorry for your loss.


Thank you so much!! It was 45 years ago last week, and the pain is still as raw today as it was then. 
...gloria


----------



## Rdanek (Mar 22, 2012)

This is hogwash!! It is amazing my boys survived. I was a very neglectful Mom. They ate allergy causing foods, played with dangerous toys, rode wheeled vehicles with no helmets, ran errands to the neighborhood store, played outside until I rang a dinner bell or the street lights went on. I can understand it being a valid concern if a baby is sleeping on a squishy surface such as down; but a hard surface like a crib mattress? The one thing I do avoid is blankets with holes (yo). My niece almost lost a toe when she stuck it through the lace and it was strangulating.


----------



## gsbyrge (Jul 12, 2011)

You know, we four siblings and my four children all slept on stomachs, all were bundled up in blankies, and all had soft toys in the crib, and we all survived. We jumped on a trampoline with no safety net around it, rode bicycles on dirt roads and roller skated with no helmets, we went outside in the morning and came back at dusk with little or no supervision, and we all survived. I think people are trying to eliminate every single possibility of injury to children and in doing so, are figuratively wrapping our children (or grandchildren, or great grands, in the case of some of us) in cotton wool so tightly they can never learn from mistakes, e.g. if you don't watch where you're going, you're going to land on your face. How are they ever to learn common sense decision making if they're never faced with decisions? When I was in school, if you were hit, you hit back. Today both parties end up convicted of assault and battery. *mega head shake* I dunno....it will be interesting to watch the future unfold.


----------



## Barn-dweller (Nov 12, 2013)

As you said we all survived sleeping under blankets, on our backs, fronts and sides. Common sense is all that's needed.


----------



## gdiane (Sep 17, 2014)

my oldest daughter, , she's 24, slept on her stomach, with her favorite bear in the crib with her and a blanket I made for her. no problems, my youngest, she's 20, had reflux and I had to buy a special pillow for her to keep her on her SIDE while sleeping, so if she did burp, she didn't choke ..... once she was able to turn over on her own, she slept how she wanted, with Zoe and a blanket.I always thought SIDS could happen no matter how they slept.. maybe I am wrong.


----------



## reborn knitter (Apr 7, 2013)

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


----------



## nancy787 (Jul 18, 2014)

galaxycraft said:


> IMO - Psstttt, :roll: :roll:
> 
> Knit on. If the parents don't want the blanket in the crib while the baby is sleeping, they will remove it.
> Why should the parents - and the baby - be deprived of your loving gifts?


 :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


----------



## Donna M. (Oct 1, 2013)

Baby blnkets can be used with car seats and on the floor etc.


----------



## lovey (Nov 11, 2011)

Babies don't have to sleep with them....you can lay it on the floor, lay it over them in the car seat, etc


----------



## cbjlinda (May 25, 2011)

They are constantly coming up with studys all the time that say this is bad for you and then a year or two later saying its good for you. I take studys with a grain of salt. as for the blanket theory" I think that if you have a history of sids or something like that then it couldn't hurt but from what I know they are still not sure just exactly what causes that either. Its like leaving a baby on their backs. when I was raising children they told you the opposite that if they were on their backs and started to choke on flem then it was bad for them. I had an experience with my first child after the first nite at home. I put him on his tummy and thank God I did because I had him next to my bed and heard him choking. He was choking on some of the flem that they evidently didn't get cleaned out well after his birth is all that I could think. anyway my mother was there and I had her hold him upside down while I reached into his throat and cleaned it out. we took him back to the hospital anyway just to make sure and they said it was all clean now. it was a very scary moment. but the nurse told me then that if he had been on his back he probably would have choked to death if I had not been a light sleeper and haden't heard him. So I don't think there are any easy answers. I think as parents we just have to read the studys and use common sense.


Kathie said:


> It looks like I should stop making blankets for the babies in my family. It's amazing that previous generations lived to reproduce.
> 
> http://www.wbay.com/story/27512361/too-many-infants-still-sleep-with-blankets-study
> 
> I don't ever remember anyone having a pillow in a crib though. It's wonderful they have cut the number of crib deaths but once a baby can turn over, they are going to sleep in whatever position is most comfortable. Wouldn't a blanket be okay as well once they are moving around and using their hands to manipulate things.


----------



## bizzyknitter (May 10, 2011)

I raise two girls. When they got married and had children they told me everything I did was wrong, ( according to their Doctors.)

We didn't have car seats at the time, my children sat in the back seat of the car, they would play with their dolls or color in their books, something to ocupy them. We didn't have child proof locks in the rear of the car, my children never thought of jumping out of a moving car. When they had a high fever we would rub them down with cool water, they slept on their stomachs because thats how they liked it. I could go on and on.

So you see everything I did was wrong and that's why I raised two healthy normal children.


----------



## Gweneth 1946 (May 20, 2012)

I worked for Johnson and Johnson for a few years at a call center and the questions and nonsense that some mothers came up with would make your head spin. One of my children had colic so bad that eventually you would just let her cry it out and I found that lying her on her stomach helped, she also had a habit of up chucking and I was always afraid she would choke on it. She survived and hitting her mid fortys , still has problems with some foods. I also started feeding all three of them around two weeks, pabulum and the last one refused her bottle around three months so gave her yoghurt. I also cooked up vegetables and blended them and mashed up bananas. The youngest did have more jar food and she was chubbier as a child than the other two but out grew that when she started crawling. I use to read the labels even back then and I could never figure out why they put food coloring in carrots.
I am sure many of us have great stories to tell and the children are all still alive today. :roll:


----------



## Moosie (Oct 29, 2012)

I have read through all of the postings and at my age (74) I do wonder how we survived with all of the mistakes we made (blankets, toys, lead paint, stomach sleeping, holding babies in our laps, etc). With 2 GGsons, I have heard some of what you have been discussing and I have tried to keep an open mind because: although we/ours survived, because of the lack of information back then, we don't know about all of those who did not. Regarding stomach sleeping, I still feel it is better and those of you who have cat and dog pets will know that if they are not feeling well they will lay with their stomach flat on the floor - nature doing it's thing?


----------



## MzBluejay (Sep 1, 2013)

Rosesmary

I too put my babies to sleep on there tummies as they spit up a lot. I kept thinking if they spit up they would chook so I put them on there tummies and they both lived through it and with blankets I too don't listen to studies as they they change from day to day


----------



## Jean Large (Nov 29, 2013)

I was raised in a ranch house with a wood cook stove and
A fireplace for the only heat. Mom wrapped us in blankets, 
We survived.


----------



## dgid (Feb 3, 2014)

galaxycraft said:


> IMO - Psstttt, :roll: :roll:
> 
> Knit on. If the parents don't want the blanket in the crib while the baby is sleeping, they will remove it.
> Why should the parents - and the baby - be deprived of your loving gifts?


 :thumbup: :thumbup:


----------



## knitnanny (Feb 28, 2012)

Research is always being done to keep our little ones safe. My daughter used a sleeping bag for her little ones but now they are older, they use the blankets I knitted for them!


----------



## Ann DeGray (May 11, 2011)

Rowesmary said:


> I'm guessing 99.999% of people living today slept with on their stomachs with blankets. What is to keep them from choking on their burp up if they are on their backs?


I always put my babies on their tummies to sleep so that is they burped they wouldn't choke. It still seems strange and unnatural to put babies on their backs to sleep.

I don't know how any of us survived.


----------



## justinjared (May 31, 2012)

Rowesmary said:


> I'm guessing 99.999% of people living today slept with on their stomachs with blankets. What is to keep them from choking on their burp up if they are on their backs?


I agree. even with adult patients,we kept them on sides to prevent aspiration in the sick and elderly/. my son and the first 2 grandsons slept on tummy and sides. the new grandchild is 18 months and has a misshapen head from lying on his back[ new mom\]


----------



## impatient knitter (Oct 5, 2011)

galaxycraft said:


> I can not see how on this earth anyone can make that type of determination.
> Many factors comes into play, that can lower the SIDS count.
> Environmental factors.
> Prenatal care. (Maybe women are receiving better care and actually being committed to those follow-up exams).
> ...


As a SIDS mother, and former nurse, I would like to clear up some things that may be misleading. First, a bona fide "Cause of Death," is only when, and only if the World Health Organization determines it as such, and lists it among _their_ causes of death. Only then can it be listed as such on a Death Certificate.

Most of today's causes of death are listed as "Cardiac Arrest," which it always is, of course, but then it goes on to state, "Secondary To:" In my father's case, for example, it was "Secondary To: Pulmonary carcinoma" (lung cancer). And in my mother's case, it was "Secondary To: Ruptured Abdominal Aortal Aneurysm (AAA)." Often times, when appropriate, there may even be a third, or "Tertiary Cause."

When my child died back in 1969, the WHO had not yet named SIDS, or Crib Death, as such. My child's death certificate listed "Cause of Death:" as "Interstitial Pneumonitis." Interstitial is defined as "...placed or lying between tissues or organs..." and pneumonitis is defined as "...inflammation of the lung tissue."

This was the best the medical examiner could come up with at the time, since no autopsy was performed, even though she died at home. I did not think, (and rightly so, I believe) that performing one on my infant would have revealed the cause of an infant dying in this manner. It certainly hasn't in the 45 years since then.

Back then there were many "similarities" among infants who died this way: it was thought to occur only in babies up to the age of 6 months, but was more prevalent in those under the age of 3 months; it involved more boys than girls; it was usually in impoverished, and low to moderate income families; it usually happened during the months between November and April; and always during a sleeping period (nap or overnight). My daughter fit into all of those categories except the one of gender. Over the years, however, some of those "similarities" began to disappear. Now it can be found in babies up to 2 years, and I know first hand other occurrences that do not fall into most of those categories, even happening to a pediatric physician!

As for how long it has "been around," it is commonly referred to in the Bible as the "lying over" disease. Since most mother did actually bring the infants into bed with them, it was thought that she would simply "roll over" or "lie over" the child during the night, thereby suffocating it. Obviously that is not true. While I am not a "princess," I can tell you if I lose an earring back during the night, it WILL wake me up!! I cannot believe that a mother could actually roll over onto a child, and not know she has done so, and I'll bet other mothers out there feel the same.

I apologize for bringing out my soap box once again, but those of you who have seen my recent posts know that this is an important subject where I am concerned, and I just like to see that no one gets the wrong idea about SIDS.

Thank you...
...gloria


----------



## llc (Oct 17, 2013)

I believe that common sense should be the standard. If you notice, what you should and shouldn't do with an infant is constantly changing. Between the births of my kids (2 1/2 years apart) everything changed from having babies sleep on their stomach to their back!


----------



## Elder Ellen (Mar 9, 2013)

I had four children in the early 50s and my mother thought everything I did was wrong. She had only one (me) twenty-five years earlier so that made her an expert. Among other things, she objected to breast feeding, and she insisted that I should put the babies outside to sleep in their baby-buggy. That's what they did in the 1920s and I survived. I've been cold ever since and I'm not so sure that survival is proof of what is or isn't correct. My children were all different and they grew to adulthood without my ever reading a word of Doctor Spalk's advice. (I'm not sure how to spell his name -- couldn't afford his books at the time, but other mothers quoted his every word, much of which I seriously questioned.) Why can't we let mothers be mothers? God gave us instincts long before any of us earthlings could read.


----------



## Gurney (Feb 17, 2012)

Buttons said:


> When we were born, they used all that and more on us and were still here. They had lead paint in those days and both my two older brothers got lead poisoning but their still here. I just don't understand.


Can't stop laughing at your penguins.


----------



## mirl56 (Dec 20, 2011)

some day they will tell us breathing is bad for our health!!

Blankets have so many uses other then in a crib on a sleeping baby! OK, so don't use one in the crib. But you can spread it out on a carpet/flooring for a clean play area. and too many other uses to even make a comprehensive list.


----------



## gardenlady4012 (Oct 18, 2014)

I plan to continue making baby blankets for expectant mothers. If they don't use them in the crib, they will still want them for covering baby in prams and strollers, and for draping around baby's shoulders while baby is napping on mom/dad's shoulders!


----------



## missjg (Nov 18, 2012)

mirl56 said:


> some day they will tell us breathing is bad for our health!!
> 
> Blankets have so many uses other then in a crib on a sleeping baby! OK, so don't use one in the crib. But you can spread it out on a carpet/flooring for a clean play area. and too many other uses to even make a comprehensive list.


Yeah I think were there already with all years of factories puffing... raised in a puffing smokers home and was a smoker for 55 years...stopped 4 years ago...major miracle.. raised also with hand pump bug spray for garden bugs (like in godfather) cough cough... cigs.. cigars, pipes.. cough cough...fertiziers..paints...and now 71... wow.. Thank U boss upstairs. pinch pinch... Im alive!


----------



## MidMdRoots (Feb 9, 2013)

Kathie said:


> It looks like I should stop making blankets for the babies in my family. It's amazing that previous generations lived to reproduce.
> 
> http://www.wbay.com/story/27512361/too-many-infants-still-sleep-with-blankets-study
> 
> I don't ever remember anyone having a pillow in a crib though. It's wonderful they have cut the number of crib deaths but once a baby can turn over, they are going to sleep in whatever position is most comfortable. Wouldn't a blanket be okay as well once they are moving around and using their hands to manipulate things.


A friend's baby died at 6 months old, was lying on her stomach, and died with blanket over her face.

All my children had blankets, swaddled them in them. I also kept an overly close eye on them. I had one of those children that carried around a blanket with him.

They used to say to place the baby on it's stomach in case it spit up so it wouldn't choke. Now they say to place them on their back.
I had a child who vomited for his first 10 months throughout the day; I hate to think of having him on his back those first months.

A "mother's instinct" and supervision is the best guideline.


----------



## Lndyf9 (Jul 6, 2013)

How ridiculous everyone I know with a baby still uses blankets


----------



## grasshopper (Apr 26, 2014)

I have thought of that many times, a baby spitting up while on his back. Isn't that a 'chocking' situation? I have always placed a newborn, on their side with a rolled blanket behind its back. That way if they so spit up or vomit they won't chock on it.


----------



## yorkie1 (Sep 5, 2011)

OH POPPYCOCK!!
How in the world did all you "BABY BOOMERS" and all you others ever survive to see the years 2000? All the stupid study's do is alarm parents. Use your own judgment people, All us oldies aren't stupid.


----------



## Shirley Copeland (May 30, 2013)

My four children survived with blankets. Now I knit and crochet baby afghans/blankets and all can be breathed through even if over the baby's face.
We do not know all the causes of sids I wish we did


----------



## Shirley Copeland (May 30, 2013)

Same here (before seat belts) Mine survived.


----------



## Shirley Copeland (May 30, 2013)

Same here (before seat belts) Mine survived.


----------



## Elder Ellen (Mar 9, 2013)

The fabric of most knitted or crocheted blankets is loose enough to allow breathing, whereas, some manufactured blankets are too tightly constucted to permit much air flow. I believe I'd go with hand-made over "store-bought" blankets for babies. Are sleeping sacks still in use? A hand-knit blanket over a sleeping sack seems safe enough. I recall putting two hand-knit baby bonnets on our eldest son because there was no heat in his little room -- had to make sure there was no water in the room because it would freeze in the midwinter temperatures. (Yes, we took him into our bed sometimes, not often.) That was more than 60 years ago, but certainly the rooms were even colder in earlier times. I believe that our fore-fathers (and, mothers) had to depend on their common sense but that seems to be in short supply now, especially amongst the self proclaimed "experts".


----------



## Marcia1767 (May 2, 2011)

My sister died of SIDS. She was in her stroller, sitting up, ready to go for her daily walk. My Mom got her ready to go, went for her jacket and came back a little while later and she was gone. No vomit, no blanket to suffocate her. I guess it was her time to go. :-(


----------



## GrannyDeb (Oct 14, 2011)

Kathie said:


> It looks like I should stop making blankets for the babies in my family. It's amazing that previous generations lived to reproduce.
> 
> http://www.wbay.com/story/27512361/too-many-infants-still-sleep-with-blankets-study
> 
> I don't ever remember anyone having a pillow in a crib though. It's wonderful they have cut the number of crib deaths but once a baby can turn over, they are going to sleep in whatever position is most comfortable. Wouldn't a blanket be okay as well once they are moving around and using their hands to manipulate things.


I remember checking on my baby after returning from a night out with my husband to find him standing in his crib looking for me to come in the bedroom door. The satin blanket edging was wrapped around his neck purely by accident it had ripped loose from the stitching. What a shock but a relief to be able to put things right. It was a machine made blanket not hand made.


----------



## Maryhm (Oct 11, 2012)

Just a year or two and the next study will say exactly the opposite.


----------



## Toby's Mom (Dec 8, 2011)

I guess for those who worry, people can knit the Bay Cocoons, sacks, buntings, etc.
Type: Knitted Baby Cocoons on Pinterest
lots of patterns and also,
http://www.pinterest.com/marialandin/sacos-para-beb%C3%A9/



Kathie said:


> It looks like I should stop making blankets for the babies in my family. It's amazing that previous generations lived to reproduce.
> 
> http://www.wbay.com/story/27512361/too-many-infants-still-sleep-with-blankets-study
> 
> I don't ever remember anyone having a pillow in a crib though. It's wonderful they have cut the number of crib deaths but once a baby can turn over, they are going to sleep in whatever position is most comfortable. Wouldn't a blanket be okay as well once they are moving around and using their hands to manipulate things.


----------



## yorkie1 (Sep 5, 2011)

Maryhm said:


> Just a year or two and the next study will say exactly the opposite.


 :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


----------



## impatient knitter (Oct 5, 2011)

My deepest sympathies to all you mothers who lost babies to SIDS, and to those of you who know someone who has. I empathize with your pain.

For those who fear or don't want to use blankets anymore, how about one or two of the little "sacks," or "cocoons" I see so many of you making? They would make an adequate, not to mention beautiful, and a warm-enough cover for a baby (as long as it's not tight around the neck) even in the colder months. All four of my children used one particular "sack" that was handed down to me by my sister who had used it for her FIVE children! It's still in decent condition, and could be used for yet another generation or two!

Seems to be a perfect solution....until someone comes up with a reason against them!!!


----------



## jeannie2954 (Apr 19, 2011)

I had to read through each of these. My oldest son will be 39 years old in six days. I remember when he was an infant and hearing about SIDS on the TV, I was a young mother and terrified about losing him. We had a nursery set up for him but moved the crib into our bedroom. I wanted him close and needed to keep an eye on him. We put the Cosco (sp) carrier in his crib and he slept sitting upright. Living in Oregon, our winters are often very cold and he was bundled up with warm blankets over him. When he out grew the carrier we elevated one end of the crib and he slept on his stomach. 

I never let him out of my sight and would often check to make sure he was breathing while he slept. Yes, I was paranoid and terrified because I just knew he was going to die. I think these studies are wonderful searching for a cause but I also believe/know they create terror that isn't necessary.


----------



## Kathie (Mar 29, 2011)

I hope people didn't get the idea I was ridiculing these findings. SID's deaths have dramatically decreased since most young mothers are placing babies on their backs to sleep. I was just bemoaning the fact that the blankets I made in the last few years haven't been used at all. I put too much time and effort into those blankets to continue making things that aren't going to be used.


----------



## gypsie (May 28, 2011)

Haha. I so agree with you. And don't forget that our children think we are dumb! All four of my children survived blankets in their cribs at night! And they all slept on their tummies. American Pediatrics I read are beginning
to rethink back sleeping because of so many deformed heads.


----------



## musiclady (Aug 26, 2011)

Right on, Rowesmary!!!


----------



## dialfred (Nov 21, 2011)

I used a rather stiff quilt over my baby. Kept him warm but he couldn't get it caught over his face.
But I loved the baby blankets. 
Just used them when I was holding him.
Or snugged them down over his lap in the carrier.
In practice, though, he never slept through the night.
So I spent most of my time holding him with a blankie.


----------



## Geneva (Mar 26, 2011)

The best advice I ever got was written in the back of a Dr's book -- The book is a guide not an absolute rule, whatever is written here maybe called an error in years to come -- use commonsense and trust God, yourself and your baby. Doctor Spock


----------



## Amysue (Apr 23, 2012)

I never used a pillow until my babies were over a year, then just one I bought from a baby shop (Mothercare) I always laid babies on their sides then if they did get sick it would dribble from their mouths and not back down their throats. I think like most Mothers these people that make up all these SAFETY rules never had children. I bought beautiful bumper pads in eyelet for our cradle but my granddaughter was told in the hospital they were dangerous, for goodness sake the baby was all of seven pounds and he wasn't going anywhere.but the bumper pad was taken off.


----------



## midtlie (Mar 19, 2012)

I get so sick of all the new rules, I tried to tell my kids it was nonsense but THE DOCTOR KNOWs BEST


----------



## past (Apr 3, 2011)

I never put a blanket in my daughter's bed. She is now 32 and mother of her own baby. No blankets in his bed either. That's what blanket sleepers are for. Blankets are still used to cover baby for outings and to wrap in while being fed/nursed. My grandson is now 1 yr old and the only blankets for him are used on the floor to put him down to play, to cover him when going outside, and for in the stroller or car seat.


----------



## Ellen Kerr (Feb 25, 2013)

Kathie said:


> It looks like I should stop making blankets for the babies in my family. It's amazing that previous generations lived to reproduce.
> 
> http://www.wbay.com/story/27512361/too-many-infants-still-sleep-with-blankets-study
> 
> I don't ever remember anyone having a pillow in a crib though. It's wonderful they have cut the number of crib deaths but once a baby can turn over, they are going to sleep in whatever position is most comfortable. Wouldn't a blanket be okay as well once they are moving around and using their hands to manipulate things.


Babies get past the danger stage very quickly. Then a blanket is great. Just trying to prevent tragic loss.


----------



## Jannette Burke (Nov 21, 2014)

Today's generation do not APPRECIATE!!!!!! Continue making blankets but give them to charity as I am doing. The grand children, however, will appreciate them until they enter puberty!!!!!!


----------



## Jannette Burke (Nov 21, 2014)

Over protective people. Gone are the days of the job of the INSTINCT.


----------



## Mitzi (May 8, 2011)

My firstborn rolled over a couple of hours after birth, and so did my next three. E
very nurse in the hospital came in to tell me about it before they let me go home with my baby. So needless to say, mine slept however they wanted to.


----------



## Jannette Burke (Nov 21, 2014)

No only are we dumb, we are deaf and blind too.


----------



## Jannette Burke (Nov 21, 2014)

No only are we dumb, we are deaf and blind too.


----------



## Nancyn (Mar 23, 2013)

I was always afraid of SIDS and back when my children were born, I placed them on their backs even though everyone was told to place them on their stomachs. My grandkids slept mostly on their sides until they were moving around. My grandson sleeps with a blanket and a pillow ( sometimes over his head). Scares me to death, but it is what he likes. I feel sorry for new moms because everything is researched so much that they don't know who to listen to.


----------



## Fiona3 (Feb 6, 2014)

Rowesmary said:


> I'm guessing 99.999% of people living today slept with on their stomachs with blankets. What is to keep them from choking on their burp up if they are on their backs?


I totally agree with you!!! Some of the crap these people are coming up with blow my mind. If the parents do not want it they should be gracious then put it away until the child is older. All the ones I made fo my dgbabies were used. Now do not go balistic on me, that is just my opinion, these are not fighting words!!

Fiona 😒😒😒


----------



## Elder Ellen (Mar 9, 2013)

I agree that parents now-a-days can research forever. I've always said that it's a good thing that our DD never had children -- they'd be leaving for college while she was still researching potty training.


----------



## knittykity (Jan 7, 2013)

My daughter uses a sleep bag for her baby. She moves about the cot so much that she wouldn' t be able to keep a blanket on even if she was given one! I did knit her a blanket which has been used in lots of different situations eg in her pram and buggy, on the floor for rolling about etc So keep knitting! I am now knitting one for my GS due at end of February!


----------



## Glenlady (Mar 25, 2013)

bundyanne07 said:


> It's amazing that our two children ever survived.
> I brought both of them home in my arms, gave them water to drink, even thickened our sons milk with baby cereal as milk was just not enough nourishment for him.
> They both slept in bassinets to begin with then went into cots. No pillows to begin with but always had a blanket.
> They had home made baby vegetables and puddings from about 6 months, crawled around the floor - my goodness how did they ever survive the germs they may have collected on their hands!!!
> ...


When my youing neighbour had a baby she once told me he kept crying even after his feed( she breast fed him ) I asked her if she ever gave him cool boiled water, she told me the midwife told her not to-- utter rubbish, babies get thirsty just like we do, they don't always cry because theyr'e hungry


----------



## Hannelore (Oct 26, 2011)

Buttons said:


> You know what they can do with there study. Next they will be saying they shouldn't sleep in any kind of clothing. I don't pay no attention to there stupid studies.


 :thumbup: :thumbup:


----------



## Patty Sutter (Apr 17, 2012)

Crazy idea!
5They Do Not Know what causes SIDS!
I truly think no blankets and keeping the house warm enough to sleep without is detrimental to health


----------



## grandmann (Feb 4, 2011)

My girls always use the baby afghans I made not when they were babies but now when they are toddlers. she always has a couple in the car. When they are taking a nap they will use them. When she was giving them a stroller ride an afghan came along. 
If you like making the afghans OK make them, sooner or later they will find a use.


----------



## Glenlady (Mar 25, 2013)

grandmann said:


> My girls always use the baby afghans I made not when they were babies but now when they are toddlers. she always has a couple in the car. When they are taking a nap they will use them. When she was giving them a stroller ride an afghan came along.
> If you like making the afghans OK make them, sooner or later they will find a use.


My g/ children are all grown up now but still use the ones I made when they were younger, they call them Nans family heir looms   They put them on their beds when the weather turns cold


----------



## MaryE-B (May 11, 2012)

Blankets are used for many things other than cribs. There is no need to give up making them.


----------



## Babsmim (Mar 7, 2011)

How do these babies stay warm? I have a new grandbaby on the way 5 weeks, and I've made a few cocoons, now I'm told that the babies can't sleep in them @#%$#@#!! But they are great for feeding the baby, just tuck them inside and your all set!!
Doesn't it make you wonder how we survived!!!


----------



## misszzzzz (Feb 23, 2012)

there is always some new theory that is not practical.


----------



## disgo (Mar 2, 2013)

It is all soft bedding including mattresses due to what they describe as suffocation issues. They obviously did not do evidence based research since one cannot suffocate from a blanket. Despite what is pictured on TV one can not suffocate someone with a pillow and is a very slow process and depends on the person being suffocated to be frightened. Strangulation is a whole different arena.

One could simply use a survival blanket fabric that is more stiff. Baby blankets are meant for taking the child through out temp variation environs. PJs are good enough for sleeping. Infants having large heads are best kept in a well maintained warm room.


----------



## grandmann (Feb 4, 2011)

Babsmim said:


> How do these babies stay warm? I have a new grandbaby on the way 5 weeks, and I've made a few cocoons, now I'm told that the babies can't sleep in them @#%$#@#!! But they are great for feeding the baby, just tuck them inside and your all set!!
> Doesn't it make you wonder how we survived!!!


This is what I had to buy my grandchildren, they actually slept really well when they were put in one.

http://babyinabag.com/


----------



## Alta Grama (Apr 16, 2012)

I'm confused. If a baby doesn't/shouldn't use a blanket while sleeping, why on earth does a parent need to use one while holding him/her, or baby is in a car seat???? It befuddles my brain to think a baby needs a blanket at all if not while sleeping. Dumb. Another reason to avoid back sleeping: my mother was told to put me on my back to sleep. I was the only one of six siblings to sleep on my back and I'm also the only child in my family with a distorted head shape. My head is almost totally flat from my neck up, a result of sleeping on my back while a developing infant.


----------



## rkr (Aug 15, 2012)

MariElyn said:


> That's what I always wondered!


Rowesmary wrote:
I'm guessing 99.999% of people living today slept with on their stomachs with blankets. What is to keep them from choking on their burp up if they are on their backs?

The back of my head is rather flattish, and I have the pix to prove I was on my back 72 yrs ago. I'm constantly fluffing my hair up in back to compensate... hate. it.


----------



## Jeannie Wagner (Nov 29, 2014)

impatient knitter said:


> Thank you so much!! It was 45 years ago last week, and the pain is still as raw today as it was then.
> ...gloria


I lost a baby 32 years ago, at birth. He was my 3rd baby and they couldn't find anything wrong, he just didn't survive. I had 3 healthy babies after that. My doctor told me sometimes things just happen. We lived up north and all my babies slept with blankets. My grandson does not. He sleeps with a pillow. I bought him a snow suit but I guess now it is unsafe to wear a jacket in the car seat. But the good thing is that she throws my homemade blanket over his car seat to keep him warm. In their house they must keep the heat on 75 or higher. When I visit I have to open the window.


----------



## Elder Ellen (Mar 9, 2013)

I can assure you from experience that loosing a child at any age is the most terrible thing that can happen to a mother. We always keep wondering if there was something we did wrong -- trying to remember every little detail of their life and what we did or didn't do that could have changed things. Eventually we just have to accept whatever happened -- the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, and there's nothing we can do to change things now. I like to think that all mothers do the best they can when they can but there are things we just don't understand, and probably never will.


----------



## Jeannie Wagner (Nov 29, 2014)

You do move on, but you never forget the loss. It becomes part of who you are.


----------



## Knitcrazydeborah (Oct 25, 2011)

Guess what folks...
It's now official...
You can let your little one sleep in any position you - or they - want. 
SIDS deaths are the result of a GENE that has now been identified in infants that die from SIDS.
As I always suspected, it has NOTHING to do with positioning, blankets, formula changes etc.
The study is new, but we should start seeing news reports about it soon.


----------



## Jeannie Wagner (Nov 29, 2014)

Knitcrazydeborah said:


> Guess what folks...
> It's now official...
> You can let your little one sleep in any position you - or they - want.
> SIDS deaths are the result of a GENE that has now been identified in infants that die from SIDS.
> ...


I remember hearing about that. Like a lot of things it is just genetic.


----------



## galaxycraft (Feb 15, 2011)

Knitcrazydeborah said:


> Guess what folks...
> It's now official...
> You can let your little one sleep in any position you - or they - want.
> SIDS deaths are the result of a GENE that has now been identified in infants that die from SIDS.
> ...


Now I will be waiting for the public apologies. :?
Hmmm ---- so everyone ISN'T a bad parent nor did anything wrong. Hmmmmm ......


----------



## MsJackie (Nov 22, 2011)

I, too, slept on my tummy. My son (now 32) slept on his tummy. Fortunately now we know that infants under a year old sleeping on their tummies have a higher chance of dying of SIDS. Granted, the chances of SIDS aren't that high anyway, but why chance it? They are also safer a little on the chilly side rather than overly warm. I am a director at a daycare, and we never, ever lay an infant on their tummies. We do, however, make sure they have plenty of tummy time while they are AWAKE. And if they roll over, that's their business. If we keep turning them back they will never sleep. But yes, please start out the sleep on their backs.


----------



## Jeannie Wagner (Nov 29, 2014)

I always had my kids sleep on their backs. They all ended up with a bald spot on the back of their heads. I use to knit or crochet little sleeping bags for them to keep them warm. Now the bigger danger was probably all those crib bunkers we lined the cribs with.


----------



## knitgogi (Aug 25, 2013)

Kathie said:


> It looks like I should stop making blankets for the babies in my family. It's amazing that previous generations lived to reproduce.
> 
> http://www.wbay.com/story/27512361/too-many-infants-still-sleep-with-blankets-study
> 
> I don't ever remember anyone having a pillow in a crib though. It's wonderful they have cut the number of crib deaths but once a baby can turn over, they are going to sleep in whatever position is most comfortable. Wouldn't a blanket be okay as well once they are moving around and using their hands to manipulate things.


They still need blankets to transport the babies in their car seats. That's what they use the blankets for that I knit my grandson.


----------



## TennKnitter (Jul 24, 2013)

Buttons said:


> You know what they can do with there study. Next they will be saying they shouldn't sleep in any kind of clothing. I don't pay no attention to there stupid studies.


 :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


----------



## Bombshellknits (Feb 2, 2013)

So, you can't use baby blankets in the car seat or stroller? There are plenty of uses for them. And, once kids get bigger, they like their blankets.


----------



## Dlclose (Jun 26, 2011)

Rowesmary said:


> I'm guessing 99.999% of people living today slept with on their stomachs with blankets. What is to keep them from choking on their burp up if they are on their backs?


That was always my question too.


----------



## Elder Ellen (Mar 9, 2013)

Jeannie Wagner said:


> I remember hearing about that. Like a lot of things it is just genetic.


If it's "just genetic", they'll try to identify the gene, and I'm not sure we want to know.


----------



## Bunbun (Feb 13, 2013)

Since we're all pretty much in the same age range in this group, I've come to the conclusion we DO NOT EXIST> How could we???? We ate our "peck of dirt" drank from the same bottle as our friends, smoked corn husk ciggys, slept on our tummy and with lots of blankies, just about everything that they are saying is all wrong and shouldn't be allowed.
HOW did we grow up and make it to these ripe old ages>>>???? By all today's standards we've been nonexistent for the last 60+ years. :O)


----------



## pammash (Oct 27, 2013)

margoc said:


> I tried the 'sleep on their back' with my son. He slept HORRIBLY!! Once I put him on his stomach he slept all night -- and that was at 6 weeks -- best thing I ever did (he's now 10). I even put blanket over him
> 
> We all survived metal slides, swings with chains instead of rope, drank water from the hose...I could go on and on


Remember our car seats that only hooked on the front seats/ no seats belts at all. No helmets/knee pads/elbow pads for your bikes.

How DID we survive!!


----------



## BBatten17 (Dec 15, 2012)

pammash said:


> Remember our car seats that only hooked on the front seats/ no seats belts at all. No helmets/knee pads/elbow pads for your bikes.
> 
> How DID we survive!!


I sure do remember those car seats that hooked on the front seats! Some even had a little plastic steering wheel on them for baby to "pretend drive". Check out this one I found!


----------



## pammash (Oct 27, 2013)

BBatten17 said:


> I sure do remember those car seats that hooked on the front seats! Some even had a little plastic steering wheel on them for baby to "pretend drive". Check out this one I found!


Those are the ones!!


----------



## 2CatsinNJ (Jan 21, 2011)

As a new mother for the first time 37 years ago, I read many articles, books, listened to what others had to say, then drew my own conclusions from all the input. Also, I'm an RN, so I had my education to draw upon as well. I read a magazine interview of a "country" family doctor who had been in practice for nearly 50 years & had never lost a baby to SIDS. When asked what he advised his new parents to do, these were his answers : Put the baby to bed on his tummy;elevate the head of the crib 10-15 degrees so it's in a mild incline (by placing old magazines or newspapers under the mattress); keep the baby in a head-up position for 20 minutes AFTER he's finished eating, even if he falls asleep.(To allow the milk to settle downward, the air/gas to rise above it facilitating burping). This was very easy to do,it worked well for us, they both slept thru the night after 2 weeks of age. In another few years, things will change again...just wait......


----------



## barbhb (May 18, 2013)

I remember my mother telling me about the advice her doctor gave her back in the 1930s:
'Eat very little while you're pregnant so the baby stays small.'
'Feed your baby no more often than every 4 hours, no matter how much she cries.'
'Always keep her wrapped up warm, even in hot weather.'
So it seems the game of terrorizing vulnerable new mothers with bad advice goes on and on, with variations. A power game, maybe?


----------



## Nanny White (Apr 21, 2013)

When I had my babies I was advised to put them on their stomachs to sleep. They are all in their thirties now, and all still prefers to sleep that way. Roll on a few years, when my Grandchildren were born, and all were laid on their backs. That is best advice,and if it were me I'd have taken it too. Interestingly as soon as each of them ( I have 5 grandkids) could roll over they chose to sleep on their stomachs. Their mums all used sleeping bags for the first year, then blankets. I made each one a shawl, used for photos, cuddles and in the pram/ car seat. For their 1st birthday I made each a blanket.
I could never override "expert advice", I'd feel awful if anything went wrong.


----------



## Kathie (Mar 29, 2011)

Elder Ellen said:


> I can assure you from experience that loosing a child at any age is the most terrible thing that can happen to a mother. We always keep wondering if there was something we did wrong -- trying to remember every little detail of their life and what we did or didn't do that could have changed things. Eventually we just have to accept whatever happened -- the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, and there's nothing we can do to change things now. I like to think that all mothers do the best they can when they can but there are things we just don't understand, and probably never will.


I'm so sorry. I know from experience how hard it is to lose a child as well. Mine died at seven months of age from a heart defect. A person is never the same after that. We go on but part of our heart is missing.


----------



## Kathie (Mar 29, 2011)

knitgogi said:


> They still need blankets to transport the babies in their car seats. That's what they use the blankets for that I knit my grandson.


My new GGS even has a special sack like thing that they use for his car seat. It covers him well for transport too. sigh Since no one ever seems to put him down, I don't know if a blanket is ever spread on the floor for him. lol


----------



## Jeannie Wagner (Nov 29, 2014)

I remember 35 years ago my MIL telling me that I was too cautious with my babies. She assured me they never used car seats, worried about sleeping or freaked out about sleeping. She would always tell me if my babies were fussy to dip their pacifier in Bourbon. I guess each generation has their own ideas.


----------



## gina (Jan 18, 2011)

jbandsma said:


> Well, the recommendation isn't for on their backs, either. It's to put them in a side sleeping position.


How do you get a baby to stay on its side? Wouldn't it fall over onto the stomach?

If you have to prop them up, then you'd have the suffocation problem. Seems that these studies contradict each other.

I'm still rying to picture how you can make a baby sleep on its side without propping.


----------



## Kathie (Mar 29, 2011)

BBatten17 said:


> I sure do remember those car seats that hooked on the front seats! Some even had a little plastic steering wheel on them for baby to "pretend drive". Check out this one I found!


We had one like that. It makes me shutter now. lol


----------



## TAYATT (Mar 11, 2014)

Babies Still Sleeping With Soft Bedding Despite SIDS Risk: CDC
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2014/12/01/babies-still-sleeping-with-soft-bedding-despite-sids-risk-cdc


----------



## bakrmom (May 30, 2011)

Why do some many of you feel the need to bash today's parents for following recommended advice? Generations have followed what ever current advice either from Drs, midwives or other women. did none of you ever ask your moms or drs for advice raising your children? 
Just because it's no longer advisable to have babies sleep with soft bedding does not mean they dont need(or cant have)blankets, quilts, afghans. It just means parents will use them differently than we may have.
My own GKS do not sleep with anything in their cribs yet they have an abundance of quilts and blankets to lay on or cover-up with in their carseats/ strollers.


----------



## Nanny White (Apr 21, 2013)

bakrmom said:


> Why do some many of you feel the need to bash today's parents for following recommended advice? Generations have followed what ever current advice either from Drs, midwives or other women. did none of you ever ask your moms or drs for advice raising your children?
> Just because it's no longer advisable to have babies sleep with soft bedding does not mean they dont need(or cant have)blankets, quilts, afghans. It just means parents will use them differently than we may have.
> My own GKS do not sleep with anything in their cribs yet they have an abundance of quilts and blankets to lay on or cover-up with in their carseats/ strollers.


Beautifully put, I totally agree with you.


----------



## Dcsmith77 (Apr 18, 2011)

I have not read all of this thread, however, the baby next door to us died suddenly of no known cause. It was summer, but mom had the ac on rather high - about 78 or so as I recall. The baby was in the middle of the crib on her tummy with nothing around or over in a nice, clean little cotton gown - one of those with the drawstring at the bottom that Carters used to make. She just died. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with either the baby or the way she was being treated. There was nothing else in the crib besides the baby - no toy, pillow, blanket - nothing. The crib had a hard mattress as was suggested at the time. There just wasn't any "cause." No one could blame a caring, careful mother for this death and I don't think that anyone could ever explain it. We lived at the time (50s) in a development and there were 27 children under nine in about 12 houses (baby boomer time). None of the other children died and, frankly, some were not cared for nearly as carefully as this baby's older sister and the baby - only this one. I think she was about 2 weeks old. It was so sad, but I don't think all these precautions help a whole lot. It's very hard to be a parent these days.

When my kids were small, you would have thought they would be crippled for life if their feet touched the floor without shoes and socks on, winter and summer. (Of course, we let them go barefooted anyway) Nowadays, they say to let them go barefooted to strengthen the muscles in their feet. BYW, all my children are grown and all walk normally...mostly mothers know more about what to do than pediatricians. We still need them for checkups and advice, but you have to do what you feel is best for your child and hope for the best.


----------



## dearyou37 (Jul 6, 2014)

bakrmom said:


> Why do some many of you feel the need to bash today's parents for following recommended advice? Generations have followed what ever current advice either from Drs, midwives or other women. did none of you ever ask your moms or drs for advice raising your children?
> Just because it's no longer advisable to have babies sleep with soft bedding does not mean they dont need(or cant have)blankets, quilts, afghans. It just means parents will use them differently than we may have.
> My own GKS do not sleep with anything in their cribs yet they have an abundance of quilts and blankets to lay on or cover-up with in their carseats/ strollers.


 :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Thank you!!


----------



## dearyou37 (Jul 6, 2014)

'What if my baby spits up while he is sleeping on his back? Will he choke? No, neurologically healthy babies cannot choke on their own spit-up, even if they are sleeping on their backs. They may cough a bit but this is normal.'

http://childrensmd.org/browse-by-age-group/newborn-infants/tips-to-prevent-sids/

Babies are at no greater risk for choking on their spit up while on their backs than on their tummies.

Just because we don't use blankets does not mean we let our babies freeze. We have warm sleepers, sleep sacks, and buntings. We also still swaddle very small babies.

http://www.halosleep.com/about-halo/


----------



## Jeannie Wagner (Nov 29, 2014)

This is what I made for my grandson last year when he was much smaller.


----------



## barbhb (May 18, 2013)

bakrmom said:


> Why do some many of you feel the need to bash today's parents for following recommended advice? Generations have followed what ever current advice either from Drs, midwives or other women. did none of you ever ask your moms or drs for advice raising your children?
> Just because it's no longer advisable to have babies sleep with soft bedding does not mean they dont need(or cant have)blankets, quilts, afghans. It just means parents will use them differently than we may have.
> My own GKS do not sleep with anything in their cribs yet they have an abundance of quilts and blankets to lay on or cover-up with in their carseats/ strollers.


I don't think it's the parents that are being "bashed". The ones some us criticize are some members of the medical establishment who take it upon themselves to give dogmatic child-rearing advice to inexperienced and vulnerable parents. Even though medical opinion as to best child rearing practice has swung back and forth many times over the years, many medical folk seem to believe that the final truth has now been discovered, and parents had better follow their advice or else! And most parents believe them, of course; it is surprising that so many people still give so-called experts credit for knowing things that they often don't know much about, just because they are called experts. As other K-Pers have noted, the most dogmatic advisers are often those with the least child-rearing experience. 
Far from bashing today's parents, my sympathies are all with them in their struggle to raise healthy, happy children. I look back on my parenting years with profound gratitude that my kids escaped disaster, and I credit this mostly to good luck. Much as I enjoyed it back then, I wouldn't want to go through it again!


----------



## pb54116 (Jun 27, 2011)

I had never heard about not giving water or juice and the first time I tried to give my oldest son (44 years ago) a bottle with orange juice in it, he choked on it and stopped breathing! I panicked and held him upside down and patted him on the back and, thank God, he finally started breathing. I never did that again with him or my other two. All three of my kids slept on their stomachs from the first, though, with no problems. However, I've heard that the incidence of SIDS has gone way down since they've been advising new parents to put their babies in the crib on their side (propped up if need be).


----------



## megross (Jun 3, 2013)

margoc said:


> I tried the 'sleep on their back' with my son. He slept HORRIBLY!! Once I put him on his stomach he slept all night -- and that was at 6 weeks -- best thing I ever did (he's now 10). I even put blanket over him
> 
> We all survived metal slides, swings with chains instead of rope, drank water from the hose...I could go on and on


I work at a school that is only two years old. The swings have metal chains. Go figure.


----------



## Jeannie Wagner (Nov 29, 2014)

Most of us had kids in the pre Internet age. So we had a lot less information being bombarded at us. I had an old German doctor who advised me to take the kids outside even in the winter. He advised at nap time to open the window and dress them in their snow suits. My kids were the healthiest kids, never sick. My grandson seems to have colds or the flu all the time.


----------



## galaxycraft (Feb 15, 2011)

barbhb said:


> I don't think it's the parents that are being "bashed". The ones some us criticize are some members of the medical establishment who take it upon themselves to give dogmatic child-rearing advice to inexperienced and vulnerable parents. Even though medical opinion as to best child rearing practice has swung back and forth many times over the years, many medical folk seem to believe that the final truth has now been discovered, and parents had better follow their advice or else! And most parents believe them, of course; it is surprising that so many people still give so-called experts credit for knowing things that they often don't know much about, just because they are called experts. As other K-Pers have noted, the most dogmatic advisers are often those with the least child-rearing experience.
> Far from bashing today's parents, my sympathies are all with them in their struggle to raise healthy, happy children. I look back on my parenting years with profound gratitude that my kids escaped disaster, and I credit this mostly to good luck. Much as I enjoyed it back then, I wouldn't want to go through it again!


:thumbup:


----------



## Dcsmith77 (Apr 18, 2011)

...why don't school buses have seat belts?


----------



## Loe58 (Jan 28, 2013)

Times change. Yes, I grew up with lead paint. I also grew up without seat belts. Just because I and many others survived riding around in the front seat with just our mothers' arm for a seatbelt doesn't mean it's better than what we have today. Current wisdom is for infants to sleep on their backs without blankets. When they are a little older, blankets are fine. All my baby blanket gifts have gotten use, just not right away.


----------



## Dcsmith77 (Apr 18, 2011)

I know a hospital nursery has 24/7 people watching the babies, but even so: I just received a picture of our brand new great grandson only a few hours old - wrapped in a blanket. Oh, well...


----------



## Nanny White (Apr 21, 2013)

Dcsmith77 said:


> ...why don't school buses have seat belts?


They do here in the UK.


----------



## Dcsmith77 (Apr 18, 2011)

They don't here and just yesterday two school buses collided and about six children were killed and many injured. Very sad. In kindergarden my grandson was scared to ride the school bus at first because he had always had a seat belt on. (he was wrapped in blankets as a baby, too)...living dangerously.



Nanny White said:


> They do here in the UK.


----------



## Hilary4 (Apr 26, 2012)

The biggest risk to a baby is a mother who has smoked during her pregnancy, as this measurably damages the baby's wake-up response.
These babies are also more likely to be of low birth wieght, which further affects the same wake-up response.


----------



## grammy52 (Dec 19, 2013)

My Grandchildren all had blankets in their cribs . My 14 year old Grandson still sleeps with the one he had as a baby.


----------



## Mjean (Sep 4, 2012)

The benefit of knitted/crocheted blankets - they are not solid, but allow the baby to breath through it, even if it gets over their faces. Every baby i've known, i'm 73, has had handmade yarn blankets, all have survived for at least 65 yrs!!!


----------



## lavertera (Mar 15, 2011)

Buttons said:


> You know what they can do with there study. Next they will be saying they shouldn't sleep in any kind of clothing. I don't pay no attention to there stupid studies.


 :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


----------



## charliesaunt (Apr 22, 2011)

I am still knitting baby afghans...if not used in the crib while an infant, they are used in car seats, prams, while nursing, sitting on the sofa...multiple uses, not necessarily only for sleeping.


----------

