Raising an infant can sometimes feel like it comes with an endless set of rules. Not only that, but it seems like every year more things get added to that list. With new studies constantly getting released, it feels as if what’s considered “acceptable parenting” is nothing like the way it was 50 years ago. One particularly study that has changed the way we parent our infants is related to how we put them to bed. Once upon a time, babies were put to sleep with warm blankets—but this is no longer the case, and here’s why.
Protecting Them
You might think that an infant child would need a blanket more than anyone. With their physical bodies being so incredibly vulnerable to the cold temperatures around them, a blanket seems like it should be the exact thing they need during the night. From a temperature perspective, this is certainly true. The only problem is, there’s a whole other factor involved that makes a blanket super dangerous for an infant.
Avoiding Tragedy
Studies have shown that many infants have tragically passed away from having gone under their blanket for too long. As babies rapidly grow, they move around a lot, and this can lead them to get trapped underneath their blanket. This is just about the scariest thing you can imagine if you’re a parent, which is why you must avoid giving them a blanket for the night at all costs.
There are other ways to keep them warm. In addition, you can give them a blanket momentarily as long as you’re watching them and making sure it’s not moving at all. But when you go to sleep yourself, or go and do something else, you must take it off of them.