Hello Facebook Fan Page Guest

Hi All:

We are aware there are some people reading my FACEBOOK fan page who are concerned for the welfare of our babies. Please remember these people are only reading snippets of advice and information and have most likely never read my complete book, bedding guide or my associated articles in full. They are purely going on what they are reading on this page or even on one post.

These people are not being malice or vindictive in any way but are showing genuine concern for our children’s safety and wellbeing. What these people most likely don’t know, which all of you know is the countless hours of research that I have put into my book and articles before having them printed and before recommending the advice I do. They don’t seem to be aware of the current SIDS and SUDI guidelines stating as long as your babies head and face are uncovered and you are using cotton or bamboo bedding then it is perfectly safe to layer up the amount of these blankets to keep your baby warm which in return keeps them in the safe back sleeping position. Also it is now clear overheating is only sited a risk factor and not as big a factor as was first thought but we do live in a generation that parents are so scared of over heating their babies they are doing the opposite and under heating them which is in my opinion a greater risk.

Please see bullet point ten, under the heading “Make the sleeping environment as safe as possible and avoid overheating” on this website http://www.ispid.org/prevention.html
Fact sheet 6 September 2007 http://www.sidsandkids.org/pdf/InformationStatement-RoomTemperatureSept2007.pdf please go to the 3rd page second paragraph in the conclusion box and read what it states. “However there is no evidence to show that extra thermal insulation increases the risk of SIDS in infants who sleep on the back with the head and face uncovered.”
They may not be aware of my own research that shows that if do not make a baby warm enough in bed they will, as soon as they are able, roll to their tummy, tuck their knees and arms in under their body, stick their bottom in the air and bury their face in the mattress to try and warm up, which of course we know is a very dangerous sleeping position for a baby and toddler. New research shows this causes less oxygen to get to the brain and could be connected to SIDS. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/good-week-for-mums-with-newborn-babies/story-e6frg8y6-1226019355570 They are also not likely aware of my own personal experience of loosing a sibling to SIDS and how passionate I am about baby safety and ensuring everything I recommend down to the bodysuit your baby wears and the toys your baby plays with are the safest on the market.

I also feel some of these concerned ladies are also not looking at their own situation in regards to co sleeping, they simply may not be aware or have thought about the fact that their co sleeping babies are sleeping next to other bodies which provide lots of warmth and also likely under other bedding. As explained in this blog http://blog.saveoursleep.com/2010/04/05/113/ they may not realize that I actual support ‘safe co-sleeping’ but it is ‘accidental co-sleeping’ that I warn against and discourage my clients, readers and friends from doing. They actually may not even know or understand the difference but safe co sleeping is very different to ‘accidental co-sleeping’.

I also wonder if these ladies have considered why they believe babies don’t need bedding? We all sleep with bedding and we are always told to dress our babies in one more layer than ourselves? So why is it recommended a baby goes to bed in only a sleeping bag? Have they considered it is the sleeping bag manufacturers that spread this word not SIDS? Have they considered it is the sleeping bag manufacturers who gain from spreading this information? It clearly states on the 9th SIDS international conference fact sheet that a baby will roll later if bedding is used with the sleeping bag. Here is a link to the http://www.ispid.org/fileadmin/user_upload/textfiles/SIDSI2006finalabstractbook.pdf if you go to page 99 (which might be a different page depending on how you are reading it) but actual page 99 point 134 titled COT DEATH AND SLEEPING SACKS you will see the state.

Please understand these ladies also only read and interpreted snippets of the vomiting baby the other night. They did not return to the page to find out the baby actually had gastro and I am sure they can all attest to babies vomiting in their sleep. These ladies were again only showing concern for this baby ‘assuming’ that the baby had been left for hours in a controlled crying situation where of course we know this was not the case as I don’t encourage or endorse controlled crying in anyway. These ladies would know that if they had read my book in it’s entirety. Research has shown that leaving a baby to cry and emotional cry can cause damage to the baby and parent. While I don’t aim to ‘convert’ these concerned parents I do thank them for their concern but ask them to respect that there are many ways to parent babies. Some parents will research, agree and try an option with their baby while an alternative parenting option may suit another family better.

What we need to show is respect for the parenting options that are available today and what we can do on the facebook fan page is support and encourage the other parents that have researched and are educated in my parenting option and chosen it as their preferred option.