when did you stop worry about SIDS?

Question

my son is a little over 3 months old and i am still so scared that im going to wake up one morning and he is going to be breathing. i check him periodically when he sleeps and sometimes i'll evevn shake him a little to check to see if he is alive. when did any of you get over the fact of SIDS?

Answer 1

Once my daughter could roll over on her own, SIDS worries became a thing of the past.

Answer 2

There's ages where the chance decrease. First decrease is at 3 months, then again at 6 months, then again at 12 months, and again at 18 months. Babies/toddlers are faced with SIDS up to 2 years of age. At this point however your child has made it to the one of the two highest decreases for SIDS. However, I can't tell you to stop worring cause as a mother that's easier said then done. Just try to relax a little and rest assure he's made it through the first milestone. Good luck!

Answer 3

I stopped checking on my son consistently after about 2 years old. However that doesn't mean I don't still look at him if he's been sleeping really quietly to make sure he's still breathing and he's nearly 4 now. Don't think thats a fear any mother really gets over.

Answer 4

I had to get over it very quickly, because my son has to sleep on his belly. He is a reflux baby, and it is the only way he can comfortably sleep. It also reduces the chance of him asphyxiating on regurgitated stomach contents... which can be just as life threatening as SIDS.

The comfort for me in this is that he is a big baby and incredibly strong - he can push up and hold himself for 2 minutes at a time, and he is beginning to turn over on his own (at three months).

Answer 5

SIDS is very uncommon after 5-6 months and before 1 month. I stopped worrying around 6 months. As long as there are no heavy blankets, or stuffed animals, or pillows, you can stop worrying around 5-6 months.

Then you can worry about other things.

Answer 6

I'd like to know too. I'm also so scared I'm going to wake up one morning and he's not. I check on him all through out the night just to make sure he is still breathing. I even check to see if he is still breathing when he naps. I don't know when its normal to get over it but I know your not alone in your worry.

Answer 7

Around three months, when baby was over the highest risk time. I only worried a lot with my first baby, with all the rest I had the concern in the back of my mind, but it didn't consume my every waking moment like it did with my first.

Answer 8

I worried for about 6 months with my first, but hardly at all for my second.

Babies at most risk of SIDS are underweight, live in a house where people smoke, and sleep with lots of soft stuffed things that can get in the way of their breathing.

Strong, healthy babies in safe cribs actually have very low risk of SIDS.

Answer 9

I stopped REALLY worrying after about 4 months; about the time when they say the chance of SIDS decreases. My son is now 10 months and I still worry but I'm starting to think I will always worry because I am his mom. So I think some amount of worry is natural. Just remember that the chance of SIDS occurring is ETREMELY low.

Also remember the 10 ways that you and others who care for your baby can reduce the risk of SIDS.

Safe Sleep Top 10
1. Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep, for naps and at night. The back sleep position is the safest, and every sleep time counts.
2. Place your baby on a firm sleep surface, such as on a safety-approved crib mattress, covered by a fitted sheet. Never place your baby to sleep on pillows, quilts, sheepskins, or other soft surfaces.
3. Keep soft objects, toys, and loose bedding out of your baby's sleep area. Don't use pillows, blankets, quilts, sheepskins, and pillow-like crib bumpers in your baby's sleep area, and keep any other items away from your baby's face.
4. Do not allow smoking around your baby. Don't smoke before or after the birth of your baby, and don't let others smoke around your baby.
5. Keep your baby's sleep area close to, but separate from, where you and others sleep. Your baby should not sleep in a bed or on a couch or armchair with adults or other children, but he or she can sleep in the same room as you. If you bring the baby into bed with you to breastfeed, put him or her back in a separate sleep area, such as a bassinet, crib, cradle, or a bedside cosleeper (infant bed that attaches to an adult bed) when finished.
6. Think about using a clean, dry pacifier when placing the infant down to sleep, but don't force the baby to take it. (If you are breastfeeding your baby, wait until your child is 1 month old or is used to breastfeeding before using a pacifier.)
7. Do not let your baby overheat during sleep. Dress your baby in light sleep clothing, and keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for an adult.
8. Avoid products that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS because most have not been tested for effectiveness or safety.
9. Do not use home monitors to reduce the risk of SIDS. If you have questions about using monitors for other conditions talk to your health care provider.
10. Reduce the chance that flat spots will develop on your baby's head: provide "Tummy Time" when your baby is awake and someone is watching; change the direction that your baby lies in the crib from one week to the next; and avoid too much time in car seats, carriers, and bouncers.

Answer 10

when the baby can lift his head on his own and turn over on his own you can stop worrying about it.. lay him on his back and not on his stomach you should have to worry too much if you dont have any stuffed animals in the bed or anything he can cover his face with.. you can use those little things on the sides of the baby to keep him from rolling over onto his stomach..