Scared my phone could have hurt DS :(

[newmum234]

I have a white noise app on my smartphone that I use throughout all DS's naps and at bedtime. I've been leaving my phone in his cot with the app playing constantly. I wedge it between the cot and the mattress so it's secure, and it's only about 20cm from his head.

I randomly started wondering earlier if it's okay for a baby to be so close to a mobile phone, Googled and came across this article:

www.mirror.co.uk/science/you-should-never-your-baby-9935251

Now I'm really worried that I've exposed him to electromagnetic fields and am feeling terrible Could I have harmed him?! DS is 5.5 months.

[amylou8]

I need noise all night to cover DPs snoring 😂 Get an Alexa, the basic 30 quid dot will do it. Say 'Alex play white noise/a fan/a thunderstorm etc' Then say 'Alexa loop on'. She'll play what you've asked for until you tell her to stop (default is an hour without the loop).

[smilingthroughgrittedteeth]

I thought you were going to say you dropped your phone on his head or something. Please look at where your source has come from, its the mirror, only marginally better than the daily mail for writing judgy, incorrect biased articles.

You havent harmed your baby i promise buti would use something else like a fan

[Feminist10101]

@newmum234

We did, but DD didn’t go to bed till midnight anyway so it wasn’t a chore.

My DS goes to bed at 7 so that wouldn't work for us - unless I went upstairs and sat in the bedroom every night from 7, which just isn't realistic.

Damn that human biology taking no notice of our social lives. You’d think evolution would have given us 2 extra arms and put an off switch on them for when we want a —wine—break, by now. .

[Feminist10101]

@amylou8

I need noise all night to cover DPs snoring 😂 Get an Alexa, the basic 30 quid dot will do it. Say 'Alex play white noise/a fan/a thunderstorm etc' Then say 'Alexa loop on'. She'll play what you've asked for until you tell her to stop (default is an hour without the loop).

And it will record all your conversations and send them to amazon who can use them to flog you crap you don’t need too! Win-win.

[MintyChapsticks]

The issue here is your anxiety and you're not gaining any reassurance whatsoever from posters telling you it's fine. You're just returning to the topic and repeating yourself

You need to go and see your doctor about your anxiety. Nobody here will be able to give you the answer that satisfies you once and for all. Your doctor would be a good starting point

[Feminist10101]

OP my baby has all his naps and his night time sleep in his cot upstairs. Hes 6.5months now, but ive done that since he was 3 months old as he slept so much better

Oh dear. 3 month old babies are not supposed to sleep deeply or for a long time. It can literally cause them to stop breathing.

So before you judge those who regurgitate the guidelines, maybe ask why the guidelines are there in the first place.

My child might have slept better on the roof/hanging upside down/underneath a cat but that doesn’t mean any of those are safe.

[Feminist10101]

@MintyChapsticks

The issue here is your anxiety and you're not gaining any reassurance whatsoever from posters telling you it's fine. You're just returning to the topic and repeating yourself

You need to go and see your doctor about your anxiety. Nobody here will be able to give you the answer that satisfies you once and for all. Your doctor would be a good starting point

Absolutely.

A week ago you were waking your child up multiple times a day.

[blue25]

I wouldn’t put it so close to his head TBH. We don’t really know what long term consequences there might be.

[OnSilverStars]

@newmum234 is plug in but it can be quite far away

[newmum234]

Damn that human biology taking no notice of our social lives. You’d think evolution would have given us 2 extra arms and put an off switch on them for when we want a —wine—break, by now.

So what do you suggest - that I sit in the bedroom from 7pm every single night on my own with DS while he sleeps? Or that I keep him downstairs with us where he won't be able to sleep properly and will end up an overtired mess?

I think it's odd that your baby stays up until midnight tbh - that can't be good for them!

[JassyRadlett]

I think you need to reread the article. It’s red top click bait - you can tell because the author is the ‘social audiences’ reporter not the science editor. It’s constructed in a way to make you feel there’s peril - but the doctor they’ve quoted is reassuring about safety limits and the fact that babies don’t absorb EMF as effectively anyway.

Keep reading this quote:

"The safety test done for phones already include safety factors to cover children, even tiny ones, and we know that children are fully-protected in terms of meeting safety limits from these devices."

[Letsallscreamatthesistene]

My child might have slept better on the roof/hanging upside down/underneath a cat but that doesn’t mean any of those are safe. Of course they're not safe. What an utterly ridiculous comparison.

I know why guidelines are there. Ive also done A LOT of research into the issue, which informed my choice.

Before regurgitating guidelines, perhaps consider that parents know them and have decided against them for any number of reasons.

[newmum234]

Thanks @JassyRadlett - where is that quote from? That's really good to know x

[Letsallscreamatthesistene]

A week ago you were waking your child up multiple times a day.

That was a different poster. Im sure you jumped all over her as well, without any kindness, understanding or perspective, similar to what you've done here

[newmum234]

A week ago you were waking your child up multiple times a day.

Eh? No I wasn't!

[1940s]

@Letsallscreamatthesistene my cousin just lost her 4 month old to SIDS. He was sleeping alone. All the guidelines are there as anything other than safe sleep advice is a risk. A risk I'd never ever take. And one she bitterly wished she hadn't. Who knows what the outcome would have been if she'd have followed guidelines.

[Letsallscreamatthesistene]

And its a risk I did take. I dont know what else to say on the matter.

[OverTheRainbow88]

@1940s

That’s really sad, I’m sorry for their loss, such tragedy.

[Feminist10101]

I think it's odd that your baby stays up until midnight tbh - that can't be good for them!

Why not? She slept from midnight till noon. So did I as a baby. She’s now a very healthy, scarily bright and talented 10 year old, so clearly her genetic night owl tendencies have done her No harm whatsoever.

[Feminist10101]

So what do you suggest - that I sit in the bedroom from 7pm every single night on my own with DS while he sleeps? Or that I keep him downstairs with us where he won't be able to sleep properly and will end up an overtired mess?

You could all be in the bedroom surely. Why would you have to be on your own?

[Feminist10101]

I really don’t understand how new parents can be under any illusion that life will continue as before with a baby. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[MoonJelly]

@newmum234

Our place is small with thin walls, and we want to be able to have normal conversations, have friends over (which can get quite loud!) and watch TV at night without waking DS.

I figured that the louder I have the white noise, the more likely it is to drown out all these sounds!

Do babies need to be weaned off white noise? I thought it was okay to use it all the time...

Presumably you don't envisage that he'll be dependent on white noise for the rest of his life, so he needs to be weaned off at some point. In general it's better if babies get used to sleeping through ordinary household sounds.

[newmum234]

I really don’t understand how new parents can be under any illusion that life will continue as before with a baby.

What are you on about? I'm not under that illusion at all!

[trogladite]

Use an alexa or a google mini and play through that - it does 12 hours!

[newmum234]

You could all be in the bedroom surely. Why would you have to be on your own?

Good point. Perhaps we could install a kitchen in the bedroom. And a toilet too!