Hello my friends.  April P wrote in to ask: “Should newborns sleep in middle of crib or down low with feet near the edge of crib?” I’ve heard a lot of interesting questions since I began doing CloudMom. Many have concerned how to go about getting a baby to sleep in the crib, but I must say, this one had me stumped and got me thinking. I give my two cents in today’s blog!

April, as I explain the the video, the standards for exactly how a baby sleeping in a crib should be situated have changed over time, and they’ve changed during the course of my five babies, the first of which was born in 2004.  In 1992, the AAP started a campaign against SIDS which urged people to put their babies down on their backs. With my first child born 10 years ago, I was urged to alternate having him on his back and then on his sides to combat “flattened head syndrome.” With subsequent babies, the doctor urged me to only place them on their backs.

How did you place your baby in the crib? Weigh in below!

How to Get Newborn To Sleep In Crib

But what about your question: in what area of the crib should a baby be situated?  Well, I researched this and found one great article by the Cleveland Health Clinic  that  encourages parents to battle flattened head syndrome by switching the direction of the baby in the crib, moving mobiles around, and even moving the placement of the crib in a the baby’s room, the theory being that infants will orient their head toward light and that doing this will encourage the baby to turn his or her head in different ways to combat flat head syndrome.

I discuss this article and more about what I did in today’s vlog.

Take a look and let me know what you guys did!  And always remember, your baby’s safety is paramount and you want to make sure there are never any obstructions to their breathing in the crib or elsewhere.

xo Melissa