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Does a baby need to sleep on a flat hard matress?

Elena - posted on 09/23/2009 ( 5 moms have responded )

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2 weeks ago at a friends house he slept in a travel cot for the first time and she put in a duvet as the thin matress was very hard (we the also propped up the head area with a pillow as he had a streaming cold and needed to drain!) He seemed very comfy so when we returned home we did the same in his cot. What I am wondering is developmentally for his bones body etc is this ok or should he now that his cold is gone be laying back flat on his matress even though in the past he has seemed sometimes uncomfortable (thrashed about etc.)??????

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5 Comments

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Hope - posted on 09/24/2009

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yes becuase if it is soft they could get stuck in a dip n the bed from it being to soft and they could suffocate or hurt themselfs. oh and the head up thing my daughter from the day she was born has always slept with her head higher then her bottom she never got sick and it helps with drainage my drs thought it was a very good idea i suggest you do this. i bought this thing at walmart in the baby section its a cushion thing that has a inch incline on the head side and it has two cushions on the sides so he cant roll over and will always stay in one position my daughter absoultly loved this. i took it out once she started to scoot off of it every night about when she was 5 mths. but it was the best thing.

Lynlee - posted on 09/24/2009

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I know what you mean about the portacot mattresses being so hard. We found our son wouldn't sleep in one b/c it was so hard, so we bought another mattress which fits snuggly inside the portacot and he has slept fine since. In his normal cot, I have always placed a blanket and then a couple of waterproof pads over the top of his mattress, because I didn't want to ruin the mattress if he leaked and it is also warmer in winter to not sleep directly on the mattress. With regard to the use of blankets etc, our son has always had blankets on his bed, although when he was young I would tuck them in tightly but away from his face so he couldn't suffocate. We never used duvets as they can overheat your baby and smother more easily than blankets.

Denyel - posted on 09/24/2009

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I don't see how old your baby is, but if they are under 12 months of age to help reduce the risk of SIDS and accidental suffocation your baby should not have anything in his crib and should be on a firm mattress. No, blankets, pillows, crib bumpers, stuffed toys, sleep positioners (are also not reccommended), nothing. It should be the crib, mattress, tight fitting sheet, and baby.

Once they are over 12 months they can have a thin blanket, as they are usually good at that point baout rolling back and forth and removing a blanket from their face if it gets up there.

Iysha - posted on 09/24/2009

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There are mattress paddings and sleep positioners that you could get for your baby that might make him more comfy.

Danielle - posted on 09/24/2009

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if he is better then it is probably better for him to be flat again, the risk of sids is increased as he could slide down the mattress into his blankets and if it is too fluffy under him if he rolls over and his face is smushed into the duvet he could suffocate.

if his mattress seems too hard you could get a woolen underlay to soften it.

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