Is this safe?

[AlfieBear87]

I have a 4 week old newborn. He sleeps well in his crib for the first half of the night, but gets a bit windy and fidgety after his second feed at about 3am. For the last 3 nights he's not really slept at all after 4am. Last night, at about 5am I put a pillow in his crib and laid him on it. The wind seemed to ease straight away and he went straight to sleep and didn't wake up until 8.30am.

Is it safe for him to sleep on a pillow? Just to clarify - his whole body is on it, not just his head. He's ebf, he's in our room, he uses a dummy, we use the angelcare movement monitor and we don't smoke so his SIDS risk is as low as we can make it.

If its not safe does anyone know of a safe alternative?

TIA

I wouldn't guess it is safe. They wriggle and can maybe turn over onto there fronts etc. having a soft pillow will not allow them to push themselves up. So this can pose a massive suffocation risk. There are specially designed crib pillows in John Lewis. They are perfect for your situation.

www.johnlewis.com/sleepyhead-deluxe-bed-guard-white/p231482924

Could you look for a softer mattress?

No, not safe. Babies are also supposed to sleep on a firm mattress.

Thanks for the help. So frustrating when you find a way to help them sleep but then can't use it! But definitely don't want to jeopardise his well being.

That John Lewis bed looks very interesting. Have you had any experience in using one RAFdad?

We tried our DD in one in JL on Saturday. She looked so comfy. But was going to wait until she is about 6-8 weeks once we move here from the Moses basket to a cot. But they look amazing and perfect for little wrigglers

That's quite expensive for a baby who sleeps well in their crib till 3am! (Honestly, that's really good at 4 weeks old). My baby was also a bit unsettled after the 3am feed for a bit, but it was only a very short period of time (she's now 12 weeks and has slept brilliantly since I can't remember when).

Cheaper options: have you tried swaddling? A sleeping bag instead of blankets? (This would give padding underneath). Winding for longer at 3am or tummy massage? White noise?

I'd be worried about overheating with that kind of cot pillow - but I've not seen one in the flesh so can't really comment.

I had a friend who used one of those baby sleep positioners - position baby on their side for wind/reflux but again I'd personally be reluctant with such a small baby. Does side sleeping help any? If so could you safely cosleep just for those few hours? We cosleep now but I didn't start until dd was 5mths as I was a bit nervous about it beforehand. The movement monitor will pick up if they're on their side though the research says side sleeping not as safe as back sleeping...

We used to fold a towel or blanket and place it UNDER the mattress to raise one end up slightly. That might be all he needs. Good luck.

It is quite expensive! He is doing well sleep wise, but I'm struggling to start the day at 4am with a newborn and 16mo to look after.

He doesn't like being swaddled unfortunately as he likes to sleep with his arms up by his head. I've yet to find a sleeping bag small enough for him although I plan to use one as soon as I do! He's rubbish at bringing wind up - it all goes down! I've tried holding him upright for up to an hour after feeding - he'll be fast asleep on me and then as soon as I put him down the knees come up and the squealing starts.

I'll try propping the crib up a bit tonight and will have a look at the cot wedges. He tends to sleep mostly on his side anyway (he does it himself).

Thanks for all the advice, my eldest never suffered particularly with wind so I'm in new territory.

Have you tried infacol?

We had him on infacol for a week but I didn't notice any difference. Maybe it's worth another go.

Prop up the basket at one end, might help wirh being a bit.more upright.

Also, try Swaddling under the armpits round his chest, then arms are still free.

I can't remember (too long ago) but does infacol take a little while to work? Definitely worth another try.

Are you BF or FF? Certain brands of formula made DS incredibly windy.

SOrry, ignore that - I see he's ebf.

AlfieBear, we used the Sleepyhead with our ds who didn't like being put down in his cot. Although expensive, I found it to be excellent and my ds slept much better on it. It seems that my ds just preferred to be more snuggly, without being swaddled.

Also we took it with us when going away and using a travel cot/unfamiliar cot. This really helped ds to settle in that situation, as he was still being put down into a familiar setting.

My ds had been in SCBU after being born, and they always used rolled up blankets placed around him to achieve the same effect. I think that's why he liked being in the Sleepyhead.

Thanks for all the advice. Last night I wrapped a blanket around the mattress underneath the sheet to provide slightly more padding, I raised the cot head slightly and used a large cellular blanket as a positioner and he slept for 6 hours straight!! I couldn't believe it. We've not had quite as successful night tonight but he does seem slightly more comfortable after a feed.

I really want to try one of the sleepyheads, I'm just a bit put off by the price after we've already bought a Moses basket and crib....plus we're miles away from the nearest John Lewis so can't go and look at one first. It's interesting what you say about the SCBU connection though ex as my little one was in there for the first 24 hours of his life too. It seems that he wants the freedom to move his arms and legs but still feel secure and snuggly.

We used a baby pillow under the cot sheet, but for other reason - to prevent flat head. Can you put the pillow under the sheet just to be on the safe side?

Our mw suggested rolling a towel into a sausage then laying it in the cot in a u shape with babies feet at bottom of the u. The top edges can't come any higher than armpit level for safety reasons. She seems to like the cosiness and it's free! Plus there's nothing to cover her face.

The 'love to dream' swaddle sack might be good if you want something that is snuggly but still freedom to move arms/legs. Amazon or jojomaman sell them.

I was going through exactly the same. My son would sleep until 3/4 and the afterwards would wake every hour. I bought a sleepyhead. He slept for 7 hours straight, woke for a feed then went back for another 3. I would pay double- what a god send.
It's not the same as a rolled up pillow! Towels because it is made from breathable material so baby will not over heat.

Vertbaudet have some 0-3 month sleeping bags. Gripe water worked better for us than infacol.

The sleepyhead is worth the expense IMHO - my DD sleeps really well in it. We just bought the bigger size as she grew out of the first size. We tried a night without it and she was flailing around the cot and slept terribly. Normal business resumed with the sleepyhead!