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aden + anais Giving Away a Cozy Sleeping Bag to Help Spread the Word About Important SIDS Research

February 6, 2010 · 116 comments

Just days ago a new report on SIDS based on research funded in part by the the New Jersey-based CJ Foundation for SIDS  was released linking incidences of SIDS to the low production of serotonin in the brain stem. This major breakthrough may help doctors better predict which children between birth and 12 months of age are at high risk for SIDS.

Just as significant, in 95 percent of the cases in this study some SIDS risk factors were present.

Did you get that? Of all the children studied 95 percent were at some risk for SIDS. While the risk may have been very small in many cases, that’s still a pretty scary number.

As a blogger I help promote various companies and products on this site through giveaways and reviews. I would never promote something I didn’t believe in. But this aden + anais campaign to help spread the word about SIDS prevention is particularly important to me as a mom.

The CJ Foundation and aden + anais want to remind parents and caregivers how critical it is to be vigilant about observing safe sleep and SIDS prevention practices.

The CJ Foundation offers these simple steps for helping to reduce the risk of SIDS:

• Always lay your baby to sleep face up.

Side and tummy positions are not safe; check with your doctor if your baby has breathing problems.

• Don’t smoke while pregnant and never smoke near your infant.

While pregnant or considering pregnancy do not smoke. Never let others smoke near your baby. Smoking is a major risk factor for SIDS.

• Don’t let your baby get too hot.

Overheating is a leading risk factor for SIDS. Dress your baby in as much or as little as you would wear. If your baby is sweating, has damp hair, or a heat rash, he or she may be too hot. Room fans have been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS. Consider using a wearable blanket or other type of sleeper instead of a blanket.

• Lay your baby to sleep in an approved crib, on a firm mattress. Do not let the baby sleep on soft things like a couch, pillow, sheepskin, foam pad, or waterbed. Remove all loose bedding, stuffed animals, and pillows from crib. Crib bumpers are not recommended and can be hazardous.

• Create a healthy lifestyle for you and your baby.

When pregnant, see your doctor often and do not use drugs or alcohol. Talk with your doctor about changes in your baby and how your baby acts.

• If possible, breast feed your baby. Breast feeding has been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS.

• Offer your baby a pacifier at all sleep times. Pacifiers have been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS

• Put your baby on his or her tummy to play when your baby is awak and supervised.

Make sure someone is always watching. “Tummy Time” is good for your baby because it makes neck and shoulder muscles stronger.

• Don’t share sleep surfaces.

• Adult beds, couches, and chairs are not safe for infant sleep and increase the risk of SIDS, suffocation and accidental infant death. After breast feeding put your baby back in his or her crib.

• Share these tips with everyone who cares for your baby.

More information about SIDS and the CJ Foundation can be found here.

As recommended in one of the tips above I put my eighth month old in a wearable blanket at nap and bedtime. I started using wearable blankets after he was too big to swaddle. I also try to make sure he’s wearing breathable layers that keep him warm, but don’t overheat him.

The Cozy Sleeping Bag from aden + anais is one option if you’re looking for a sleep sack. Made of four layers of natural light-weight muslin the sack is designed to keep baby safe and comfortably warm.

To help spread the word about SIDS and encourage safe sleep practices, aden + anais would like to give away a Cozy Sleeping Bag to one lucky Mommie Daze reader in the print and size of their choice.

To enter visit the aden + anais site then come back here and leave a comment telling me which Cozy Sleeping Bag you would like.

Extra entries my be earned by doing the following:

1. Become a fan of aden + anais on Facebook

2. Become a fan of  The CJ Foundation for SIDS’ on Facebook

3. Subscribe to Mommie Daze

4. Follow Mommie Daze on Twitter

5. Become a fan of Mommie Daze on Facebook

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. All entries will be verified.

The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada over the age of 18. The contest will close February 15th at 11:59 p.m. The winner will be randomly selected and contacted by email.

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Beach Day!

August 11, 2008 · 5 comments

We finally hit the beach today for the first time this summer.

Yeah, we’re a little late.

We’ve been busy, and just didn’t’ get around to it. There were times I could have taken David by myself, but to be honest, the thought of dragging a three year-old and all the necessary equipment across the parking lot and the long stretch of hot sand to the water’s edge all by myself just did not appeal to me. So we waited for a day when Daddy could come with us.

It’s always more fun when Dad’s along anyway.

We headed out for the Lake Michigan shore at Tunnel State Park in Holland, Michigan. On the way we stopped at a farm selling sweetcorn along the road, and picked some up to grill at the park for lunch.

By the time we got there is was time eat. Here’s David enjoying some of that corn.

And watermelon for dessert.

At Tunnel Park the beach is divided from the rest of the park by a huge sand dune. If you want to swim you either have to climb to the top of the dune…

and then back down the other side…

Or you have to go under the dune through a tunnel. I prefer the tunnel. It takes a lot less physical exertion.

It was actually a bit cool today. Only in the mid 70′s and breezy. There were waves breaking on the shore causing a strong undertow making it unsafe to swim. The waves also churned up the water, and made it really cold. I mean really, really cold. Like painfully cold. Normally the water is pretty warm by August.

So we just waded a little.

Well, they waded. It was way too cold for me. I only put my toes in for a second. Dad said he he lost all feeling in his lower extremities after a minute.

David really wanted to swim today. I’m hoping we’ll get at least one more hot day with calmer, warmer water so we can go again before the leaves start to fall and the snow flies.


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Conversations with a Three-year-old: We Might Be Giants

April 15, 2008 · 1 comment

“Look at me. I’m walking like a giant!” My son is taking big, leaping steps around the trampoline. “When I grow up, I’m going to be a giant,” he announces.

“You are?”

“Yes,” he replies with all the conviction his three-year-old self can manage.

“Wow. You’ll be huge then. And you’ll have a to get a really big house to live in and drive a really big car.”

“Uh-huh. And I’ll — no wait. I don’t want to get a different house. I want to live in this house, with you.”

“But what will we do? If you’re a giant you’ll be too tall for this house. Maybe we could cut a hole in the floor and you could go down in the basement and stick you head up through the living room.”

“That’s silly Mommie. Um, Mommie?”

“What?”

“Are you a giant?”

“No. I’m just a normal size adult.”

“Oh. Well, my Daddy is a giant. And he’s big and strong and he helps me! When I grow up I’m going to be a giant just like him.”

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Kindness at the Playground a Sign of Lessons Learned

January 29, 2008 · 2 comments

We were at the mall today and I let my son spend some time at the indoor playground there. Another little boy about his age fell down, and I watched in amazement as my son stopped what he was doing, walked over to the boy, offered a hand to help him up and said, “Are you O.K.?” Then enthusiastically asked, “Do you want to play with me?”

He’s only three. We’ve told him ever since he first started interacting with other children to be kind and thoughtful of others. Until today I hadn’t known whether or not he’d taken those lessons to heart. When you’re in the trenches “parenting” day in and day out, you feel like white noise that’s filtered out by all of life’s other distractions. I’d never seen him actually show compassion toward another peer before. It’s something to watch the culmination of a hundred conversations and lessons taught silently with actions. It’s the pay off for the tempers kept under control, explanations give patiently, time taken to discipline lovingly.

Isn’t this why we moms and dads do what we do? To raise a person who reaches out to their fellow man, offers help and kindness, contributes something good to society? I saw a small glimmer of this today in my son’s attempt to help that little boy. I can only hope that he continues to reach out a hand to the world as he grows older, and it reminds me that we all should reach out more often to those around us.

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