Depending on the generation in which your mother, or your grandmother, was raised, you may be shocked to come home after a night out to discover your baby bundled tightly into a cocoon of five baby blankets. Before you went out you asked your mother, or grandmother, to put the baby in the crib, on his back. When you got home, the baby was propped up on his side. What do you do? The minute you try and broach the subject, you’re going to hear something like, “Well that’s the way I raised you, and you turned out alright.”
Unfortunately, things were different back then. People weren’t aware of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) for one thing. They didn’t’ realize that over-heating a baby was a bad thing, or that babies could actually suffocate if they’re trapped under too much baby bedding. So, if you’re planning a night out, and your friend, mother or grandmother has graciously offered to baby sit, it’s really important to have a heart-to-heart with them about how the baby should be placed in the baby cradle. It’s not going to be an easy conversation to have, but having some literature or pamphlets on the topic might make it a little easier. At the very least it will back up what you’re trying to say, and not make it look like you’re just being a “crazy new mom”. Ultimately, if you don’t feel safe going out for a much needed break, you might have to hire a qualified babysitter.
