| By :
Wendy Moyer
Many years ago an article in Scientific American featured a picture of a baby fearlessly crawling across a sheet of glass that was suspended between two blocks of wood that were about five feet off the ground. That's because babies do not have any concept height. Nor do they have an understanding of gravity. Bassinets are designed for infants who have not learned to sit up or move around. Once your baby is mobile, which for most children happens at around three months of age, a bassinet can be a very dangerous environment. They aren't built for infants that are mobile. If you let your baby stay in the bassinet he or she will be able to move around but won't be able to hold himself or herself up without falling out of the bassinet. Serious injury - or worse - could happen. Once your baby can move around, if not sooner, you need to make the transition from letting him sleep in the bassinet to putting him to sleep in a crib. You can help make it a comfortable transition of getting your infant used to being in a relatively larger environment by letting him play in his crib for a bit of time here and there throughout the day. Why not put your child in her crib while you tidy up her room? It will allow her to watch you rearrange things while she gets accustomed to her new sleeping arrangements. You might also want to hang a mobile over her head to help entertain her. Once your baby has acclimated, you can put him into his crib for a daytime nap. It will help him get used to his new sleeping arrangements. And he will awaken to new sights and smells. Soon you will be able to put your baby to sleep in his crib in his own room. And, if you have properly prepared, your baby will be safe and sound and can sleep soundly through the night. When decorating your crib keep in mind that decorations have their own set of potential dangers. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) can be a result of a child suffocating and dying because he became stuck, face down, in his soft toys and pillows. So, under no circumstances should you put any stuffed animals or pillows into the crib as decorative items. This doesn't mean you can't give your baby a soft and visually interesting environment. You can accomplish this by choosing crib bedding that incorporates soft, fanciful designs. Use soft cottons and luxurious velvets incorporating whimsical and / or classic themes such as hounds tooth, toile, ginghams and embroidered designs.
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