SIDS, Circumcision, Safety, Baby Items
SIDS
SIDS A Parent’s Guide to Understanding and Preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome by William Sears, M.D. deals with this very serious and heartbreaking topic. The book provides documentation, and explains in detail the reasoning behind the first seven guidelines listed here.(11) The remaining points are taken from other sources.
1. Give your baby a healthy womb environment. This includes getting good pre-natal care and eating properly.
2. Do not smoke. Live in a smoke-free environment. Pre-natal and post-natal smoking increases the risk of SIDS. A study from another source says, “Breathing second-hand smoke can make infants up to 23 times more likely to die from SIDS.”(12) We’ve heard that for every four or five cigarettes smoked around a child, the child receives the same detrimental effects as if he had smoked a whole cigarette by himself.
3. Put your baby to sleep on his back or side on a firm mattress. Babies should not sleep on their stomachs.
4. Breastfeed your baby. The evidence is clear that breastfeeding reduces the risk of SIDS. Formula-fed babies have a higher risk of SIDS.
5. Give your baby a safe sleeping environment. Sleeping with baby reduces the risk of SIDS. Chapter 8 explains the significance of this age-old practice.
6. Keep bedroom temperature right. Overbundling and overheating increase the risk of SIDS.
7. Practice attachment parenting which includes breastfeeding on cue, sharing sleep, and wearing baby. Babywearing reduces the risk of SIDS. Read chapter 10 for details on why carrying your baby during the day is so important.8. Although Dr. Sears and many other professionals insist there is no connection, other experts believe that childhood vaccination is an important factor that contributes to the occurrence of SIDS.(13) We strongly encourage you to study the research by Dr. Viera Scheibner.
9. New research indicates that the consumption of caffeine during pregnancy plays a role in SIDS. Caffeine has already been linked to miscarriages, low birth rates, and even breech delivery. Avoid tea, coffee, carbonated beverages with caffeine, etc.
10. It has been suggested that the ammonia from wet diapers may contribute to SIDS, so change diapers regularly.(14)
11. The use of illegal drugs such as cocaine, heroine, and methadone increases the child’s risk of SIDS by as much as 10 times.
12. Premature infants, mostly those weighing less than 3 ½ lbs. are at a very high risk of SIDS. Eating as healthily as possible during pregnancy will help to prevent premature birth.(15)
Circumcision
Wait a minute. Don’t rush into this one! In an effort to make your baby boy “just like Daddy”, don’t hand him over, and behind closed doors, have him strapped down, so his foreskin can be sliced off. Even though it is traditional, and God required circumcision in the Old Testament, the procedure was quite different back then, as only a small amount of the foreskin was removed. We recommend that you research the risks and side effects of circumcision.(16)
“Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts.” 1 Corinthians 7:18,19 NIV
No one should have the right to cut off any part of someone else’s genitals, without that person’s competent, fully informed consent. Once it’s gone, you can never get it back.
http://www.mothersagainstcirc.org/fleiss.html
Safety Issues
We have many concerns regarding the safety of little children. Some of them are mentioned below.
When in a car, the safest place for a baby is buckled in a secure car seat located in the centre back seat. The next safest place is the back seat on the passenger’s side. Be absolutely certain that baby’s car seat is installed properly every time you use the car. Don’t leave the handle of an infant car seat in the locked position. NEVER leave a child alone in a vehicle.
Manufacturers are required by law to put a weight limit on infant seats which is based on the average weight of a twelve month old child. Often a child has reached the weight limit long before twelve months. (For example, one of our children weighed 20 pounds at three months of age). The period of time a child faces the rear of the car should not be based on weight, but actually be determined by his neuro-muscular development. The child should be at the stage of standing up and walking around furniture, preferably closer to twelve months than nine months. If your child seems too big for an infant seat, but is not showing the necessary neuro-muscular development, use a larger car seat that can be in the rear-facing position.
If you are in a vehicle that is equipped with air bags, make certain that young children (ages twelve and under) are never in the front seat. This is important even when the car is turned off and parked. Another vehicle can jar the car and inflate the airbags. Statistics prove that if airbags are used properly, they are effective in saving lives. Unfortunately, they can be deadly to children if the above guidelines are ignored.
Protecting your child should be your number one priority. Be aware of the dangers, and develop the habit of taking special care every single time. Each year, thousands of children are injured or killed because of strollers, cribs, bathtubs, stairs, driveways, etc. Shopping carts can also be very dangerous. It only takes seconds for a tragedy to occur. Never leave your baby in a mesh playpen if its drop side is in the down position. Don’t use pressure-mounted gates at the top of stairs. Foods like hotdogs, peanuts and grapes are the #1 cause of choking deaths to children, and balloons are #2. Educate yourself about child safety before it is too late.(17)
It is wise to be very discriminating if you decide to leave your child with a caregiver. Listen to your intuition.
Helpful Baby Items
The experience of parenting four babies has helped us discover our favourite baby items:
* Sling
* Diapers
* Tissues/soap
* Waterproof change pads with soft material on one side (If your baby’s diapers tend to leak, sleeping on these tend to protect the mattress and save unnecessary work)
* Receiving blankets
* Undershirts (Our babies wear undershirts to bed because sleepers are too warm for them. We like the one-piece style with no snaps or buttons on the chest, but just three snaps at the bottom.)
* Rompers, swim diapers, sun hat (for warm weather)
* Sleepers, snowsuit with feet, winter hat, mittens (for colder weather)
* Clothes and socks
* Tub rack (inexpensive coated metal frame with a fitted towel to help keep an infant’s head up during a bath in a tub)
* Car seat
* Diaper bag (just a small carry-on bag)o Diaper wipes for on-the-go
o Plastic opaque lunch bags (with ties) for the dirty diapers on-the-go* Guard rail or sidecar bed (for family bed)
* Waterproof mattress pad (for family bed)
* Portable phone (next to bed)
* Touch light (next to bed)
* Intercom (next to bed)
* Bouncer (helpful next to tub when mother takes a shower, etc.)
* Baby bathtub (when baby is bigger, he can sit in his own little tub inside the large tub while mother takes a shower)
* Highchair (when baby can sit up)
* Backpack with hip-belt (in addition to sling)
Unnecessary Items
Please do not let “mother substitutes” play a large part in your lives. Remember, some things that are used as a substitute for mother include: baby seats, automatic swings, bouncers, jumpers, bottles, pacifiers, training cups, teddy bears, baby monitors, baby-sitters, etc. Of course, some of these things occasionally have their place; just be careful not to use them too much. The benefits of full mother involvement will last for many, many years.
Here are some things that could easily be omitted from a new baby shopping list:
* Nursery
* Crib
* Cradle
* Bottles
* Formula
* Store-bought baby food
* Pacifier
* Stroller
* Playpen
* Change table
* Automatic swing
* Baby monitor
* Baby powder
© 2001-2008 This website and its contents are copyright and intended for educational purposes only. The information, research, experiences, and links contained herein have not been compiled by a physician and should not be considered as medical advice. Opinions expressed in the reference books and links may not in all cases reflect the beliefs of Carol@parentingfreedom.com.
End Notes
1. William Sears, M.D. and Martha Sears, R.N., The Baby Book – Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby – From Birth to Age Two, (New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 1993).
2. Robert S. Mendelsohn, M.D., How to Raise A Healthy Child…In Spite of Your Doctor, (New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 1984).
3. Dr. James J. McKenna, World Health, March-April (1996).
4. William Sears, M.D. and Martha Sears, R.N., The Discipline Book, Everything You Need to Know to Have a Better-Behaved Child - From Birth to Age Ten (United States: Little, Brown and Company, 1995), pp. 24,25.
5. William Sears, M.D. SIDS A Parent’s Guide to Understanding and Preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 1995.
6. William Sears, M.D. and Martha Sears, R.N., The Baby Book – Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby – From Birth to Age Two, (New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 1993), pp. 5, 49.
7. William Sears, M.D., Nighttime Parenting – How to Get Your Baby and Child to Sleep, (Schaumburg, Illinois: La Leche League International, Inc., 1999), pp. 41-42.
8. William Sears, M.D., SIDS A Parent’s Guide to Understanding and Preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, (New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 1995).
9. Granju, Katie Allison with Betsy Kennedy, R.N., M.S.N., Attachment Parenting – Instinctive Care for Your Baby and Young Child, (New York, NY: Pocket Books, 1999).
10. Sheila Kippling, Carrying Provides Security and Comfort for Infants. CCL Family Foundations, (Cincinnati, OH: The Couple to Couple League, November-December, 1996).
11. William Sears, M.D., SIDS A Parent’s Guide to Understanding and Preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, (New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 1995).
12. Journal of the American Medical Association, (The Cincinnati Post, March 7, 1995).
13. Viera Scheibner, Ph.D., Vaccination – 100 Years of Orthodox Research shows that Vaccines Represent a Medical Assault on the Immune System, (Victoria, Australia: Australian Print Group, 1993).
14. James, W. Tyler, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Probable Causes and Prevention.
15. Carol Savage, (Saskatchewan SIDS Council).
16. Paul M. Fleiss M.D., “The Case Against Circumcision,” Mothering, Winter, 1997) pp. 38-45.
17. Journal of the American Medical Association.
Bibliography
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Curtis, Barbara. Small Beginnings – First Steps to Prepare Your Child for Lifelong Learning. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1997.
Fleiss, Paul M., M.D. “The Case Against Circumcision,” Mothering, Winter, 1997.
Granju, Katie Allison with Betsy Kennedy, R.N., M.S.N. Attachment Parenting – Instinctive Care for Your Baby and Young Child. New York, NY: Pocket Books, 1999.
Groh, Karen. “In Giving of Ourselves, We Receive,” CCL Family Foundations. Cincinnati, OH: The Couple to Couple League.
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Mendelsohn, Robert S., M.D. How to Raise A Healthy Child…In Spite of Your Doctor. New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 1984.
Scheibner, Viera, Ph.D., Vaccination - 100 Years of Orthodox Research shows that Vaccines Represent a Medical Assault on the Immune System. Victoria, Australia: Australian Print Group, 1993.
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