I thought this would be a nice place to aggregate lists of miscellaneous parenting tips, organized by age. Maybe if this gathers lots of good input, I’ll post another age group in a few days. If nobody is into the idea, no big deal.

Let’s start with babies 4-6 months old, since newborns are way to fucking complicated!

Suggestion: post a single tip per comment, so people can up/downvote each tip, rather than long comments with lots of ideas. May the best advice float to the top!

  • @[email protected]
    5•1 year ago

    “Back is best” but once they start rolling they do what they want. It can be terrifying the first few times when you wake up and see them on their stomach.

    They can go from essentially immobile to crawling across rooms very quickly. Cruising/standing up using objects for support is also fairly sudden, so if you have a crib with multiple heights, it’s probably best to preemptively lower it so they can’t fall out.

    • @minorninth
      3•1 year ago

      100% this. Many babies sleep so much more restfully on their stomach. “Back is best” is absolutely great advice if you need to distill it to 3 words, but it’s oversimplified.

      The complex version is:

      • Newborns should only be placed to sleep on their back. Swaddle them tightly so they can’t move. No, tighter than that! It seems way too tight, but they LOVE that and it will keep them safe.
      • Nothing in the crib. No blankets, no pillows, nothing that could suffocate them. They don’t need anything as a newborn, just one swaddling blanket.
      • SIDS is highest during months 2 and 3. The risk goes down over time.
      • Once the baby can roll over both ways, it’s not realistic to force them to sleep on their back. Let them sleep where they’d like. However, then it becomes EXTRA important to make sure there aren’t suffocation hazards in the crib.
      • If you’re worried about SIDS because your baby is sleeping on their stomach - or even if you’re just worried in general - you can buy a movement monitor that alerts you if your baby stops breathing. There are many such devices.