Save Our Sleep

by Tizzie Hall

Rylen’s story Nine-month-old Rylen’s parents were concerned about how restlessly he was sleeping at night and how early he was waking in the mornings. At the time, Rylen was on the sleep routine for his age and didn’t have any settling problems. Rylen would go to bed at 7 pm and get himself to sleep in a few minutes. But come midnight, he would start to move about the cot, banging his head and often getting his arms stuck between the cot bars. This unsettled sleep would go on all night until 5 am, when Rylen would wake up and be unable to get back to sleep. Rylen’s parents, Claire and John, didn’t mind starting their day at 5 am, but they were worried about his restless nights. So they asked me to come and visit to help Rylen sleep more soundly. One of the first things I did when I arrived at their home was to look at where Rylen slept and what he wore to bed. I saw that Rylen’s cot had cot bumpers on it and explained to Claire and John that cot bumpers are not recommended by SIDS researchers. There was also no bedding in Rylen’s cot or around his room. Claire and John explained that they’d been told bedding was unsafe and to use a sleep bag as a safe alternative to bedding. Since SIDS researchers suggest that the safest way for a baby to sleep is on his back, I have always advised my clients to put their babies in a safe sleep bag. However, I always recommend safe sleep bags are used with bedding, not as an alternative. Sleep bags are a great piece of clothing and help ke...