When our babies are tiny newborns, there are endless photo opportunities - bringing them home from the hospital, their first outfit, their first smile and, of course, dozing off to sleep looking blissful.
Scrolling through Instagram, there are many sweet photos of babies dozing off in their sleeping parents’ arms. Often, mums have snapped a photo of a father snoozing with a little one, to capture a cute dad and baby moment. While it’s undeniably cute, is it actually safe to fall asleep with your baby on your chest?
Dad blogger Francis, from Proud Daddy Moments, warns against it. While working full-time and doing night feeds with his six-month old, Miranda, he had a scary experience with “accidental co-sleeping” as the practice is known.
One night, the exhausted dad began drifting off while holding the little one, and almost dropped her - not once but twice.
“I was mortified. It was one of the worst feelings that reaches down to your gut," the horrified dad revealed.
For most parents, the photos tend to be the result of exhaustion, and we’ve all had occasions where we’ve nodded off with the baby for a few minutes.
Also, as many of us have found, some babies tend to fall asleep and settle easier in a parent’s arms than in their cot.
Experts warn that as well as the danger of dropping your baby, babies are also at risk of suffocating or being trapped at an uncomfortable angle while their parents are unaware.
While it’s important to enjoy those close moments relaxing with your baby, if you feel you will fall asleep, always put the baby back in their cot. If you are in another room, it’s worth setting up a mattress on the floor so you can place them somewhere safe if you are about to nod off, rather than on your chest.
When doing night feeds, most parents are reluctant to wake up their partner; but, if you think you will fall asleep, ask someone else to take over for you, if possible.
Another way to stay alert is to talk to someone else, either in person or on the phone, while you’re with your baby.
Has this ever happened to you or your partner? Are you concerned about it? Let us know your thoughts.
