POSTS WITH TAG: sids

  • 26 +SHARE

    Of all the things that scared me when my daughter was a baby -- and trust me, there were many -- SIDS was the one monster I just couldn't shake. I would find myself waking in the middle of the night with a start, unable to go back to sleep until I'd snuck into her nearby nursery and checked to make sure she was still breathing. Call me neurotic. Or just call me a parent.

    SIDS is called Sudden Infant Death Syndrome for a reason -- because we don't know when it's coming. Nothing could be more terrifying.

    But there is good news for parents. These days, we actually know how to reduce the risk of SIDS.

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  • 16 +SHARE

    Another day, another scary baby product recall. Today's news is a big deal for any new parent desperate for solutions to help their babies sleep better -- in other words, every new parent. More than 150,000 Nap Nanny baby recliners have been recalled, covering Nap Nanny Generations One and Two, and the Chill model infant recliners. All were sold between 2009 and 2012.

    The recall comes after at least five infant deaths and dozens of reports of children nearly falling out of the recliners. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Nap Nanny poses a serious risk to babies, due to defects in its design, warnings, and instructions.

    It's important information to share, because the manufacturer hasn't actually agreed to the recall, and has now gone out of business. Unless parents hear about the recall through the major retailers pulling the Nap Nanny from their shelves, they may have no idea about the CPSC's complaints about the product.

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    The first time I babysat my niece, I think I checked her about every five minutes to make sure she was still breathing. I was absolutely paranoid something horrible would happen the first time I was alone with her. I was terrified of SIDS. Nothing did go wrong, thankfully, but a new gadget that's designed to give parents more peace of mind while babies sleep might have helped.

    The Snuza Hero is a device that clips onto your sleeping baby's diaper, and uses a motion detector to constantly monitor your baby's movement. What a great idea!

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  • 478 +SHARE

    It's hard to find much emotion beyond blame and outrage when it comes to the case of Vanessa Clark. The Texas mother lost a baby, son Christian, in 2009 after he was reportedly suffocated while co-sleeping with her and her husband. In 2010, her 2-month-old son Tristan died in a nearly identical manner -- while co-sleeping in bed with her and her husband. How could she let something like that happen twice?

    Now, according to the Houston Press, she's been convicted of felony child endangerment, and faces two years of prison time for what the defense called SIDS deaths. The autopsy couldn't determine the specific cause of death, but there's no evidence that either was anything but horrific accidents. So doesn't she deserve some sympathy?

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  • 18 +SHARE

    We've discussed this before: Smoking and babies don't mix. Although I'm not sure why it's an actual discussion rather than a declaration. But I'm sure some of you will fill me in with your comments. But even if you are totally clear that smoking in your baby's face is wrong, would you be so bold to tell another mom and dad that same thing?

    What if you saw a mom strolling down the street puffing away with her baby strapped onto her chest via Baby Bjorn?

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  • 39 +SHARE

    A few years ago, my husband and I had a friend whose long-term girlfriend had started vigorously hinting that she’d like a ring on her finger. I wondered how the guy would make his decision, since it was obvious he was on the fence about things. Would he eventually pop the question? Would she grow impatient and move on? How would he know if this was the right girl, the one he wanted to spend his life with?My husband's advice to him was, “Dude, you’ll know when it’s right. You’ll just know.” I didn't tell my husband this at the time, but I thought that was terrible advice. While I’m sure lots of people just know when it’s the right time to embark upon a major lifestyle change, I sure as hell never have.

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  • 64 +SHARE

    There's nothing quite as heartbreaking as the sudden, unexplained death of an infant. When I heard about the 4-month-old baby who was found dead this week after being put down for a nap at a daycare center in Levittown, Long Island, I literally felt physically ill. I can't even begin to wrap my head around the anguish those parents are experiencing.

    But there's another reason why this death was tragic. Already the question is being raised: Is a 4-month-old baby too young to be in daycare in the first place?

    Not only is this unfair to the parents of this baby and Karen Shriver, the owner of the daycare center (autopsy results aren't in yet, so we don't know why this baby died or if Shriver is at fault), it's unfair to the millions of parents who have no choice but to put their infants in daycare and the millions of loving professionals who care for those babies.

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  • This Newfangled Baby Monitor Freaks Me Out

    posted by Linda Sharps September 7, 2011 at 1:12 PM in Baby
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    Six years ago when my first child was born, we had an audio monitor. If I remember correctly, it would light up with an increasing number of bars depending on the volume of his cry. A five-bar night was a VERY BAD NIGHT INDEED.By the second baby, I'd graduated to a video monitor, one that came with a grainy black & white camera for each kid. This is the one we still have today, although we're down to one camera aimed at the 3yo, more out of curiosity than anything else. (I like listening to him talk to himself at bedtime.)Now I see there's a whole new breed of baby monitor out there, and if you ask me, this one's custom-designed to freak any new mom RIGHT THE HELL OUT.

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    At 16 years old, Nga Truong admitted to smothering her 13-month-old baby, Khyle, with a teddy bear. That was in November of 2008. Truong's life wasn't without tragedy. Back in 2000, when she was 8 years old, her 3-month-old baby brother died while she was in charge of his care.

    This month, after three years in custody with no bail, I'm so insanely glad to hear that she's being released as a free woman, all charges of murder dropped. Because really, this could have been anyone.

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  • My Son's SIDS Death Nearly Killed Me Too

    posted by Michele Zipp July 29, 2011 at 10:22 AM in Baby
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    Handsome AidenJestine Malloy is a mom, an inspiration, and a crusader. I am in awe of her spirit and desire to help people, though I wish she wasn't so knowledgeable about dealing with the loss of a child from sudden infant death syndrome. Jestine's son Aiden passed away from SIDS and she wants to share what she knows and how she survived it, not just for moms worried about SIDS, but for moms who are learning to cope.

    This is her story, in her own words.

    Learning to Cope: There is life after SIDS.

    “I will love you forever, this, I promise.”

    The hardest job in the world is undoubtedly being a mother. The job that no one ever wants to have is being a mother who is bereaved.

    When my Aiden died on June 15, 2004, I felt like I was in a whirlwind of chaos and misunderstanding. From the moment I found him that morning, cold, lifeless, and grey, until almost six years later, I struggled.

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