Safe sleeping environment

How blissful babies look when they sleep peacefully! But does your infant really sleep well? Especially in the first months of life, a safe sleeping environment is very important, for example, to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. But other health problems can also be avoided through sensible prevention. Read what you can do to help your child sleep healthily.

Is your infant sleeping quietly, snoring, panting or almost not noticeable at all? It's all normal. Babies breathe mostly through their nose for the first six months. Mouth breathing develops only gradually.

If you are unsure whether your infant is breathing properly, you can put your hand on his chest and feel how the little chest moves up and down. To do this, you can go to the nose and mouth with your cheek or the back of your hand and feel if you can feel the breeze from the breath, in addition to listening to see if you hear any breathing sounds.

Experts assume that various factors come together that can cause respiratory arrest. Very often, affected babies could not breathe freely through the nose. A prone position can be responsible for this. But also overheating by too warm clothes or too strongly heated rooms are considered risk factors, as well as smoking in the home.

In the following we describe measures with which you can prevent the danger of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome:

In the first months of life, babies spend up to 19 hours a day sleeping. Parents can avoid dangers when sleeping in the baby's bed if they follow a few rules.

Never sleep with your baby on sofas, armchairs or pillows. It is especially dangerous if you fall asleep with your child in your arms from sheer fatigue. If your baby lies with his or her stomach on your chest, the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or suffocation increases. If you feel you are so tired that you are about to fall asleep, you should put your child in his or her basket or crib.

If you notice irregular breathing in your child or if there is a respiratory arrest, you should immediately call the emergency services on 112. As a parent, it is important to know how to perform resuscitation in such an emergency.

The German Red Cross offers first aid courses for children's emergencies aimed at parents, grandparents and interested parties. These courses provide insight into first aid for your child in this exceptional situation, so that you can act prudently and correctly in an emergency.

Online information on cardiopulmonary resuscitation for infants and young children can be found on the German Red Cross Internet portal.

In the video, the University Hospital of Bonn explains step by step the correct procedures for resuscitation in infants and children to bridge the time until the arrival of the emergency services.