Safe Sleep Resources for New Parents To Consider
Good morning, friends! Today’s blog post is all about safe sleeping awareness and sharing local Houston resources for parents to check out! October is dedicated to newborn safety and creating a healthy sleep environment for little ones. If you’re currently expecting your own bundle of joy or perhaps are interested on safe sleeping habits, this is a great post for you!
source: Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies
While I am a professional newborn photographer and do practice safety in all that I do, I also would like to share great resources and infant care classes that are available in the Greater Houston Area. These promote infant care classes and parenting support. As a mom to four little ones, I cannot tell you how valuable these are! Bringing home a new baby is a whirlwind of emotions, but being prepared through hands on education is a great way to combat the unknown.
What is safe sleep month?
October is safe sleep month in which sleep education for pregnant women and their families help reduce the incidence of Sudden Unexpected Death Syndrome (SUID). Moreover, as mentioned, I do have four young children so I realize there is much to do before bringing a baby home!
Helping Babies Sleep Safely
As parents, we can reduce the risk of injuries or accidents by taking precautions and creating a safe environment for our infants. According to Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies (which is a coalition based in Hawaii) here are steps you may take always keep baby safe as they slumber. This program provides education on the risk factors, how to create a safe sleep environment, and tracks the baby’s health throughout its first year of life.
Always place infants to sleep on their backs.
Place infants to sleep in a baby bed with a firm mattress.
There should be nothing in but the baby—no blankets, no pillows, no bumper pads, no positioning devices, and no toys.
Keep your baby’s crib in the parents’ room until your baby is at least 6 month’s old.
Don’t place your baby to sleep in an adult bed, couch, or futon.
Don’t overheat the infant while she sleeps. Just use enough clothes to keep the baby warm without a blanket. Keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for you.
source: safehealthychildren.org
5 Simple Ways to Protect & Nurture During Sleep:
While based in Virginia (don’t worry, Houston resources are listed below) SCAN, which focuses on safe, stable, nurturing family that builds stronger communities, shares 5 effective tips you, too, can use:
“Take the Safe Sleep pledge from the Virginia Department of Social Services. Then share it with every parent, caregiver, babysitter and grandparent you know!
Speaking of grandparents, use these Safe Sleep FAQs for Grandparents (here in English or Spanish) to educate older adults in a baby’s life. Guidelines have changed drastically, and this tool helps explain why.
Download our Parent Resource Center App for direct access to resources like fact sheets and radio shows on Safe Sleep, Soothing a Crying Baby and Understanding Baby Blues/Post-Partum Depression.
Learn more about SCAN’s Operation Safe Babies program, including our free Pack-n-Play distribution and our NEW work as a Baby Box distribution site.
Read about the latest guidelines on safe sleep from the American Academy of Pediatrics. We also produced a Parenting Today segment on this topic. Listen here.”
Community Resources for Infant Care & Classes | Houston Area
This blog post is going to share three locations in which you may receive information, courses, classes, and support groups that harvest an environment of both learning and newborn sleep safety, as well as sleep and infant care for your little one. They focus on the following three locations:
Women’s Hospital of Houston
Motherhood Center in Houston
Cyfair Hospital
Infant Care Classes and Parenting Support | Women’s Hospital of Texas
The Effect Of Drug Abuse On Pregnancy
https://www.drugrehab.org/substance-abuse-pregnancy/
https://www.verywellfamily.com/pregnancy-your-week-by-week-guide-4159265
Since babies do not come with a manual, there are several amazing options in Houston for new parents to utilize! For example, The Woman’s Hospital of Texas offers free support groups and even classes that include training on the following topics, with a book to take home.
This hospital is a wonderful resource. Per their official website, linked above, this hospital is “Located near the Texas Medical Center in the heart of Houston, The Woman's Hospital of Texas is the state’s premier facility dedicated to the health of women, newborns and children. We offer outstanding care in breast health, imaging, gynecology, obstetrics, high-risk pregnancy, neonatology, pediatrics and minimally-invasive surgery. Our more than 400 licensed beds include an intermediate and advanced NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), full service pediatrics (including a 24/7 pediatric ER), and a full range of women’s health services.”
The cost for the “Life with Baby” class is $50 and includes the following:
Newborn appearance and characteristics
Hospital nursery routines
Diapering and bathing
Infant illness and when to call the doctor
Safety basics
Feeding
Infant sleep states
Coping with crying
You may also register online for either a one-day session or two-class series.
Support Groups:
When: 6:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m., first Wednesday of each month (except holidays)
or 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., all other Wednesdays (except holidays)
Cost: Free
Newborn Care Class at the Motherhood Center
“The Motherhood Center is conveniently located on West Alabama (at Timmons), with easy, accessible parking (which means no complicated hospital parking or wandering down endless hospital wings to find where your class is held). In addition, Motherhood Center provides a warm, relaxing environment that makes our parents feel right at home when they’re with us. Parents appreciate the more intimate feel within our classes, that allow for a very comfortable and enjoyable experience.
Our goal is to provide reliable, unbiased, expert information that parents can trust, without being pushed to accept a certain birthing or parenting philosophy. The support, care, and professional guidance received at the Motherhood Center is unlike any other.” (Source provided via the Motherhood Center website)
The newborn care classes at this center include the following:
Handling a newborn, including supporting your baby’s neck
Changing your baby’s diaper
Bathing your baby
Dressing your baby
Swaddling your baby
Feeding and burping your baby
Sleep deprivation
Proper Hygeine
Cleaning the umbilical cord
Caring for a healing circumcision
Using a bulb syringe to clear your baby’s nasal passages
Taking a newborn’s temperature
Tips for soothing/calming your baby
More details for you:
Register for this course here:
Select Mondays and Saturdays
Group Class: $120
per individual or couple
Private class: $350
per individual or couple
Cyfair Hospital Courses
Childbirth & Maternity Classes
If you’re located near NW Houston, such as myself, this hospital may be a great choice for you! Three of my little ones were born here and I had a wonderful experience each time.
Per their website, here are the type of safety courses that are available for parents:
Prepared childbirth
infant care
Baby saver
Sibling social
Breastfeeding
The infant care & safety specifically covers these topics, which are ideal for newborn sleep safety & awareness:
INFANT CARE
This class teaches the basic care of your newborn baby. Sights and sounds of the healthy newborn, eating and sleeping patterns, baby equipment, baby care basics, cord and circumcision care, and preparing your home are discussed.
Who should attend: Parents and/or caretakers
When: Anytime during pregnancy or postpartum
Cost: $50 per couple
Time: 11:30am - 1:30pm
Dates: 18-Feb • 11-Mar • 22-Apr • 20-May • 17-Jun • 15-Jul • 19-Aug • 16-Sep • 21-Oct • 11-Nov • 9-Dec
Register: (281) 318-2300
As always, friends, thank you for taking the time to visit my blog! I hope that these three resources for newborn safety & awareness are ones you find helpful!
Sarah Borchgrevink Photography is a Houston Newborn Photographer specializing in gorgeous posed newborn sessions. Her studio is located in Northwest Harris County. In addition to breathtaking baby portraiture, Sarah also offers stylish natural light family photography as well as dynamic outdoor maternity sessions for expecting mothers and couples. Sarah joyfully serves the entire Harris and Montgomery county areas including Houston, Cypress, Tomball, Spring, The Woodlands, Kingwood, Memorial & West Houston, Katy, Sugar Land, Pearland, Richmond, West University and Rice Village.