Rock a baby crib

“O ne night, I put my three-months-old son to bed. I had dressed him in an overall, socks, and covered him with a woolen blanket and a bed cover. After about two hours, he woke up and started crying uncontrollably.

I thought it was diaper discomfort and I changed it but he did not stop crying. I kept stroking him to sleep. I breastfed him but when I put him to bed again, he cried. I thought he had a stomach ache until the house help told me, he could be feeling hot.

She bathed him and advised me to remove the bedcover. I was hesitant but desperate to get my baby back to sleep. I removed his bed cover, blanket and left a bed sheet and mosquito net. He suddenly went back to sleep until morning,” Rachel Namukwaya, a mother of two narrates.

What to consider
A child’s sleeping area goes beyond a bed. It factors in things such as colour, which determine how long a child will sleep or stay awake.

Irene Kajubi, an interior designer at Interior Expressions in Bugolobi, says, “Avoid woolen rugs because of allergic reactions a child might pick The other accessories that a parent puts in the bed may not be harmful until the child begins crawling to grab things.

Gloria Kawuma, an interior designer at Habitat Consultants advises that when a child starts crawling, always keep away toys which have small detachable parts as these can easily be swallowed.

There needs to be some colour in a child’s room but neutral colours are recommended because they will enable a child sleep.
“Bright colours such as yellow are not good as they will interrupt the child’s sleeping time.”
“Bright colours or bold objects stimulate children’s brains. If you have to use calm colours, have some splashes of bright colour.”
Black might only make the child sleep a lot which makes them dull because it creates a gloomy mood in the room.

Lighting
You need to consider lighting when making a child’s crib comfortable. Use warm light and not white light. Warm light is low-watted and comforting on the child’s eyes while white light is very bright and is sharp on the child’s eyes hence interrupting their sleep pattern. “You can also minimise bright light by putting a bedside lamp shade.”

Other matters
In most cases you need a bed with safety rails. Although during the first months, a child does not roll often in bed, desist from putting them on an open bed, as soft material and safety rails keep them from falling.

Kawuma says parents should refrain from placing a child’s bed near the window as this interferes with their sleep patterns because of the light.
“Avoid slippery floors and at least ¾ of the floor should be carpeted,” Kawuma explains adding that one can have a music system for soothing music to lull a baby especially when they are restless. Do not forget a storage for toys.

SPECIFICATIONS….
Andrew Mbabazi, an interior designer at Erimu Company Limited says the material mostly used in the making of baby beds is wood but design varies. “There are cribs with a dressing area and drawers for storing the child’s clothes and those with no dressers.” Mbabazi explains. On the bed the foam or sponge used should not exceed four inches.

“People nowadays opt for four inches but the foam should at least be two inches because if it is too soft, it is uncomfortable for the baby’s back. I would recommend a bed with a dresser and drawers,” he notes.

Those with dressers range from Shs800, 000 to 1.5m while those without range from Shs.400, 000 to Shs600, 000 at Erimu Shop on Jinja Road.

From a medical view
Dr Hellen Kyokutamba, a pediatrician at Aga Khan University Hospital, says some children suffer Sudden infant death (SID) syndrome also known as cot deaths. This, she says, usually happens when you put a child to bed and when you go to check on the chiild, they are dead. This is preventable if you create a safe sleeping environment for the child.

Dr Kyokutamba attributes this mainly to the sleeping posture and area of the child. “Most people put their babies to sleep in wrong postures. When you make a child sleep with his or her face down, it makes it difficult for a child to turn when they are sleeping resulting in SID.” Adding that when a child is very young, it is difficult for them to lift or turn their heads and as such stuffing their bed with heavy beddings or stuffed toys will block the passage way for air.

“Soft cotton material is good but avoid wool, feathers or stuffed toys as they could cause allergic infections to the child. Such includes wheezing and coughing,” she explains.

In most cases, the allergic reactions are mistaken for asthma, “Allergic reactions manifest when the child coughs and cries at night. She advises against covering the child which limits the aeration.” Avoid a lot of clothing but not for the older children.