Most parents usually place their baby on a crib or bassinet which is then placed in their bedroom, especially during the first few weeks of their baby's life. At this early point, most parents believe that having the crib on a separate room can be very far away. Are you among this prevalent group?

However, the American Academy of Pediatrics or AAP along with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission does not highly recommend bringing and infant to sleep in bed together with his parents. These two institutions believe that for safety reasons, it is best to have your infant sleep in his crib rather than have him sleep in bed with you. It was noted that there is a high risk of suffocation and strangulation to infants sleeping with their parents. Even if many cultures approve and actually encourage co-sleeping, there have been studies that showed the higher incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in households with this kind of setting.

It is important to have an established routine right at the beginning of an infant's life. How we sleep is largely due to the habits we have acquired from babyhood and the signals that our bodies use or learned to use which tells us that it is time to sleep.

If you always put your baby in his crib for him to sleep, this is a signal for him that it is a place for sleeping. Of course, you need to be patient because it may take your baby's brain a few weeks to fully recognize the distinction of night from day. No tricks in the book can be used to speed up a baby's full understanding of this distinction, though. However, if you become consistent with the routine you have established to help him fall asleep, by and by, your baby will learn the pattern you have set and recognize that there is a time for sleep along with the proper place on where to do it.

Make sure that you keep your baby's sleeping area is safe. Avoid putting/placing any objects in his bassinet or crib that could interfere with his breathing. Plush toys, fleecy blankets and bulky pillows are not recommended for these may suffocate your baby. Furthermore, avoid things with ties or cord and those with sharp corners or edges. Make sure that you are using a crib that has met the recent safety standards.

It is also recommended by the AAP that parents put down their baby to sleep on their backs and not on their stomachs. In 1992, when this recommendation has been made, the incidence of SIDS decreased significantly to around 50%. Premature infants must also be made to sleep on their backs and not any other sleeping posture.

Babies who sleep on their stomachs tends to develop sleep obstruction. They have also higher risk of re-breathing the carbon dioxide they have exhaled because they will have an inability to rouse themselves and change their head positions. Suffocation is also a constant danger if baby is sleeping on his stomach, especially if they are lying face down on softer/plush beddings.

Remember to consult regularly with your baby's doctor in cases that he developed some medical condition. The doctor will be the best one to advise you on how your baby can sleep better.

Gerrard Mackenzie is the author of the ebook Supercharge Your Sleep and Special Sleep Report which taught thousands of the stressed-out, tired and overworked how to overcome their sleeping difficulties and get a better night's rest. He currently blogs over at Supercharge Your sleep Blog Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gerrard_Mackenzie