How much is too much?

[jojo2324]

What's the line between cautious and overboard with crib/cradle accessories? Obviously SIDS is a major concern, but I can't help but feel that I've been duped into buying a bunch of stuff I shouldn't necessarily use all together. Not that anybody could dissuade me; I am having baby and need to make my blunders so that others can make their millions :)

Here's what I have so far (for the crib):
- a vinyl zipper-upper thing that goes around the mattress
- a waterproof pad that goes between the mattress and the crib sheet
- a sheet saver to save you from having to change sheets
- a pad/pillow of some sort with velcro attachment pllows that kind of hold the baby in place on its back....hard to describe, that's the best I can do
- a light blanket

Too much all together? Now I feel like with all of these products made for my convenience/peace of mind, I've made the crib too squooshy.

As for the cradle...I posted this under another topic, but maybe here. For the baby to just have a sheet between it and the cradle pad seems kind of mean. The pad is so flat and plastic-y. I got a waterproof pad made for a stroller that should fit, but I am concerned that because the cradle pad is so thin, the baby will sort of sink into the bedding, blah blah blah. Am I going overboard with this? Sorry so long winded, I just want to do what's best.

many thanks, joanne

[luvbeinmama]

I think you're doing just fine. :) Mostly, the SIDS risks come from pillowy stuff that the baby rolls into and can't get out of, and it doesn't sound like you've got any of that in the crib. Just leave any pillows & big stuffed animals out of the crib. And you may want heavier blankets when it gets colder, too. I wouldn't worry about the cradle padding as long as you are putting the baby on his/her back to sleep it won't be a problem.

On a side note, I never used anything to keep the baby in place at all. I just burrito-wrapped him in the blanket & let him sleep. He crept up a bit as he was sleeping so I started him down toward the foot of the crib, but he was just fine and stayed on his back all the time (with his head to the side, so no worries about choking on spit-up either). Not all kids are like that, though. Some like to sleep on the tummy, but not mine. Personally, when I started my son in the crib (3 weeks) I had a mattress pad, sheet, crib quilt made by Nana, and sheet protector to keep the quilt clean all in the crib.

And don't worry so much! ;) You're doing fine. We all made/make some mistakes along the way. Really, a lot of it's a learn-as-you-go thing, because all the babies are a bit different. And different things work for each baby. You'll probably find some of the advise you get on this board doesn't fit either you or your baby, and you'll think "what were they thinking?!" It's just what works for you and your baby that's best. I'm having my 2nd in October, and I'll probably be doing some things different, too. But it all works itself out! :)

[22tango]

Blankets shouldn't be used in the crib either (unless they have a big weave with airholes such as an afgan.) Use appropriate weight sleepers for the season instead, and your baby will be plenty warm. Just a mattress, waterproof barrier, and fitted sheet are all that's needed. And place baby on his/her back.

(Can you tell I just got all this information last night at my pre-natal saftey class??)

[dubbogod]

I'm a bad mom - I used a crib sized down quilt with all my kids!! But I do know you're not supposed to. All of them started out in our bed or a bedside bassinet and just swaddled in receiving blankets for the first 3 months, but when I moved them to their crib I admit I used the quilt. Oh well, I do have a thing for down quilts.

[KathyO]

I agree with the others - you sound like you're fine.

In the Bad Mothers Confession department, I just have a vinyl-covered mattress, a very thin foam pad to keep it from being uncomfortably hard, and a sheet directly on that. If the sheet gets dampened, I blot it with a spit-up cloth and set the baby down on the other end, and don't change it until the morning. On cool nights, I put the baby in a fluffy over-sleeper thing over her PJs.

Unless your baby is the Jonestown Flood type, you may find that wrestling with anything too complex in the middle of the night is simply more than your sleep is worth. If you find it's too much hassle, just forgive yourself and go to bed.

Cheers,

KathyO

[suzska]

Hey, that's Johnstown Flood! ;-) (I believe Jonestown was the poisoned Kool-Aid thing.)

Sorry, but I'm a Johnstown-native ("We're wet, but not washed out!" ) and couldn't let that go by....

[KathyO]

Oops!! Serves me right for typing too late at night! And I should know better - I've even been there! (Nice place, too...)

[robandnancy]

I didn't use any of the products you purchased. The mattress is already waterproof, and I found that we really don't need to change the sheets very often. Guess we're just lucky. Our baby doesn't spit up very much, and haven't had diaper explosions in the crib. You can always wait and see what your baby needs. Believe me, you can actually get out of the house (or send dh) after the baby is born to buy more stuff.

Best wishes,
Nancy, mom of Tabitha (10/19/01)

[Melanie]

What's the vinyl zipper thing for?

We have a hard vinyl mattress, mattress pad, and now we've put a comforter under the sheet to make it softer. He still hates it. Too hard for him. He likes our fluffy bed. Yesterday I found him with his head on a pillow. He must have really had to move in his nap to find it, but who can blame him? I don't like hard beds either.

After the first couple of weeks when the baby will no longer want to be swaddled tightly, it's best to go without a blanket and dress them appropriately. I put my son in his crib (to play) for about two minutes and found his hand tangled in an afghan which was draped over the side. So even though it was a wide-weave, it wouldn't have been too safe.

edited to add: We also bought a sheet saver and haven't used it yet. But if you have a formula-fed baby who sleeps in their crib I would think it would be very handy.

Mommy to Jonah

[egoldber]

For crib bedding, I have 3 crib sheets and 2 ultimate crib sheets (waterproof pads for on top of the mattress). That is all I have needed for 10 months. In retrospect, I could have gotten by with 2 crib sheets instead of 3, but they were on clearance in a discontinued color... My baby had a tendency to want to be on her side instead of her back. Instead of the sleep positioner, I just used two rolled up receiving blankets. When she was 6 months, I added a blankie toy for her to get accustomed to as a sleep aid.

As someone else said, not only is it possible to get out of the house after baby, YOU MAY BE DYING TO! (At least I was.) The second day out of the hospital, after being confined to the hospital for 3 days (4 nights) and home for one day, I was bouncing off the walls to get out of the house. So we bundled up baby and off we went to Target. A visit to Target was an outing to be looked forward to all day. Sad, but true. :)

HTH,