Move your baby to a crib at the right time

If your baby's been sleeping in a bassinet or cradle since you brought him home from the hospital, here's how to make the move to a crib:

-- Depending on the size of your bassinet -- and your baby -- he'll be ready for larger quarters when he's between 1 and 3 months old. At 1 month, infants become more active, so a baby who can reach the sides of his bassinet is liable to bang his arms and legs on them. By 3 months, even the largest model won't provide wiggle room.

-- He may be so used to the snugness of his pint-size bed that he feels out of sorts in a crib and has trouble sleeping at first. "Help him feel secure by putting him in a gown that ties at the bottom or in sleep-sack jammies," says Jonathan Clemens, M.D., a pediatrician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.

-- Continue putting him to sleep on his back to help prevent SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). The crib should have a firm mattress covered by a tightly fitted sheet. Don't add quilts, blankets, pillows or stuffed animals -- they're all suffocation hazards.

-- Turn on the tunes: If he's been sleeping in your room and the crib's in another, he may yearn to doze off to such familiar background noises as the sound of your voice or breathing. Try playing soft music or a tape of white noise or nature sounds.

-- Consider a baby monitor: It'll let you know when he needs your attention, so you can both rest easy.

This article first appeared in Parenting magazine.

? The Parenting Group

Copyright C 2005 Deseret News Publishing Co.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.