Babies- Afraid of SIDS

[Learning Daycare]

I'm going I be opening in August and am trying to decide which age group to provide care for. I really want to focus on 2 year olds and up but in my area, infant care is always needed and in high demand. I know the true upside to infants, in my opinion, is pretty much guaranteed income for a few years. I want the children to grow up with me instead of them coming in with "learned" behavior and having to learn things the way I do them.

My biggest fear with infants is SIDS. How do those of you who provide infant care "relax" when an infant is sleeping? What extra precautions do you take?

[Dia]

I NEVER relax with an infant. I check on them constantly. I always have their cribs within sight. I follow every safe sleeping rule to the T. Normally by the time they make it to 7-8months I relax somewhat and stop checking their breathing constantly. By 12 months I chill out but I still don't give them blankets or anything to sleep with. I usually transition to a mat around 14 months and then I let them have blankets, etc.

It's nerve racking but most ruled SIDS cases are not even SIDS cases at all. SIDS has no known cause, they are constantly ruling infant deaths as SIDS when what actually happens is totally preventable. (Sleeping with blankets, toys, bumper pads, loose mattress, letting the child sleep with you or on a couch, etc.)

[AuntTami]

I NEVER relax with an infant. I check on them constantly. I always have their cribs within sight. I follow every safe sleeping rule to the T. Normally by the time they make it to 7-8months I relax somewhat and stop checking their breathing constantly. By 12 months I chill out but I still don't give them blankets or anything to sleep with. I usually transition to a mat around 14 months and then I let them have blankets, etc.

It's nerve racking but most ruled SIDS cases are not even SIDS cases at all. SIDS has no known cause, they are constantly ruling infant deaths as SIDS when what actually happens is totally preventable. (Sleeping with blankets, toys, bumper pads, loose mattress, letting the child sleep with you or on a couch, etc.)

This. I NEVER let an infant out of my sight if they're asleep. They're in their pack and plays, in sleep sacks(I'm unlicensed) on their backs and they sleep no more than 2 feet from me. They sleep trough all the noise etc. I'd rather they learn to sleep through the noise than put them in a room where I can't keep constant eyes on them.

SIDS is my number one fear and part of why I only hVe taken part time babies until now. It's very stressful for me to be on high alert at all times with babies here so i do part time so I have less stressful days some days

[NoMoreJuice!]

Your fear is totally valid...I have the same fear here too. I have had infants in the past, but I switched to 18months+ for several reasons (mostly to fit more kids into my capacity table) but SIDS is certainly one. My friend, who suffers from terrible "sky is falling" anxiety, recently had her first baby, and the only way she's been able to sleep through the night is by using a Snuza.

http://www.snuza.com/content.php?product=hero

[AmyKidsCo]

My infants sleep in the gated-off living room and I check on them often.

However, one SIDS reduction training I took explained that SIDS is like a heart attack: if you're going to have one, you're going to have one - no matter what you do - and there's no way to know if you're going to have one until you do.

[Baby Beluga]

I don't enroll anyone under 18 months for this reason - SIDS terrifies me and it is not a risk I am willing to take.

[jenboo]

I have a video monitor on them and check every 15 min in person per licensing. I can see them breathing on the monitor. I love infants.

[NightOwl]

The Snuza monitor. I've experienced sids first hand in a childcare setting and you have every right to worry. But these little monitors are awesome and will allow you to relax a bit. Parents will also appreciate the extra steps you take to ensure their babies' safety

[AuntTami]

Speaking of this, has anyone seen the ads on Facebook for the "breathable" crib mattresses? They're made of like a meshy type material so even if baby is face down, he can still get enough air flow to breath. They're like $500 though!

Amy-- I do agree that it is similar in that if it's going to happen, it's going to. But similar to a heart attack, there are measures you can take to help reduce the risk :-)

[NightOwl]

Speaking of this, has anyone seen the ads on Facebook for the "breathable" crib mattresses? They're made of like a meshy type material so even if baby is face down, he can still get enough air flow to breath. They're like $500 though!

Amy-- I do agree that it is similar in that if it's going to happen, it's going to. But similar to a heart attack, there are measures you can take to help reduce the risk :-)

Good answer.

[Unregistered]

I'm going I be opening in August and am trying to decide which age group to provide care for. I really want to focus on 2 year olds and up but in my area, infant care is always needed and in high demand. I know the true upside to infants, in my opinion, is pretty much guaranteed income for a few years. I want the children to grow up with me instead of them coming in with "learned" behavior and having to learn things the way I do them.

My biggest fear with infants is SIDS. How do those of you who provide infant care "relax" when an infant is sleeping? What extra precautions do you take?

It's something only you can weigh. The AAP American Academy Of Pediatrics doesn't recommend the use of home monitors or other devices that are marketed to reduce SIDS because studies haven't shown they've been effective.

Safe sleeping, and back sleeping reduces the chances of SIDS, but doesn't prevent it. So you can only do so much, but it's a percentage that happens regardless. I do 2's and up, and of course you still have be careful of safety etc.

[Blackcat31]

My infants sleep in the gated-off living room and I check on them often.

However, one SIDS reduction training I took explained that SIDS is like a heart attack: if you're going to have one, you're going to have one - no matter what you do - and there's no way to know if you're going to have one until you do.

I 100% agree! I too believe if it's going to happen, it's going to happen. SIDS is not cause by use of blankets or tummy sleeping or any other contributing factor caregivers or parents have....there is NO way to know IF it will or won't happen.

One thing I do though to lessen my stress when taking an infant is to enroll infants from current families ONLY. My reasoning for this is that I already know the family, know their habits, know their routines and ideas of raising a child. It makes it easier since the level of trust has already been built and perfected between us.

It's something only you can weigh. The AAP American Academy Of Pediatrics doesn't recommend the use of home monitors or other devices that are marketed to reduce SIDS because studies haven't shown they've been effective.

Safe sleeping, and back sleeping reduces the chances of SIDS, but doesn't prevent it. So you can only do so much, but it's a percentage that happens regardless. I do 2's and up, and of course you still have be careful of safety etc.

This was a huge topic in our last area provider meeting and the trainers told us that child care providers should NOT use monitors since it creates a false sense of security and then if the inevitable does happen, it leaves the parents wanting to sue or the provider left wondering what she did wrong.

They said if the use of monitors really did make an impact in reducing the number of SIDS deaths, child cares would be REQUIRED to use them.

The ONLY thing we can truly do is be vigilant in supervision and sleep checks and make sure we follow all the safe sleep rules.

The rest is up to nature.

[mommyneedsadayoff]

I'm going I be opening in August and am trying to decide which age group to provide care for. I really want to focus on 2 year olds and up but in my area, infant care is always needed and in high demand. I know the true upside to infants, in my opinion, is pretty much guaranteed income for a few years. I want the children to grow up with me instead of them coming in with "learned" behavior and having to learn things the way I do them.

My biggest fear with infants is SIDS. How do those of you who provide infant care "relax" when an infant is sleeping? What extra precautions do you take?

I LOVE taking infants! I know SIDS is scary, but it is called sudden infant death for a reason...there is nothing you can do about it. Just follow SAFE sleep practices and try not to worry about it. I start them young, usually 6-8 weeks, and they sleep right out in the middle of everything, on their backs, swaddled (optional), in a bassinet/PNP and I just peek on them as I walk around and do stuff.

The thing with daycare is that no matter what age, we are basically spending a majority of the day trying not to let the kids kill themselves. We do what we can to make it safe...
cut up food so they don't choke
plug electric sockets so they don't electrocute themselves
picking up toys/objects constantly so they don't trip and hit there head
put chemicals high and locked so they don't poison themselves
and the list goes on and on...

My point is that SIDS is not something you can do much about other than following safe sleep practices. Chances are you will be just fine, but I do charge a lot higher amount for infants, since the risk is so much higher. So make sure you are charging enough to make that extra worrying you will inevitably be doing is worth it.