Why on earth did I invent the Safe T Sleep Sleepwrap - part 2?

Continued on from last weeks post....

After my experiences as a nurse I knew there was a definite danger of my son falling out of his cot.  Nobody around me at the time seemed to have any practical answers.  Although many knew or had experienced babies climbing and falling out of cots and off beds, it is, even today a largely unspoken territory – a ‘hidden’ statistic. It is my experience that this is largely due to the shock and guilt that parents and caregivers often experience when this type of fall has occurred.

In the workshops and seminars I facilitated over a period of twenty years, mothers’ stories highlight  the intense guilt felt by mums whose babies had fallen from a cot or bed.

Putting him into a single bed at eight-nine months of age did not seem a good solution to me, as he could roll out. There were many ‘bed guard’ type products available, which in my humble opinion would just have given my son further to fall if I wasn’t there the second he woke up from a sleep.  

I considered and tried floor sleeping without success. My ‘action man’ baby thought it was permanent play time and once got stuck behind the door and cold air draws up more severely through floors.  Hygiene is not always the greatest at floor level, so a mattress on the floor was not a suitable option for me.  Animals, especially cats are known to sometimes sit on and smother a sleeping baby. 

I needed to consider the idea of a safety device and I loathed the idea of a restraint (just as many people initially loathed the ideal of car seat restraints).

At the same time several of my friends and relatives were also struggling with similar issues.  So we all started to try and find solutions.  I kept my design extremely simple, which has become its uniqueness. It caters for both young infants and older toddlers. Specifically by keeping a young baby in the high SIDS (cot death) risk period positioned comfortably and safer whilst an older infant may be taught to turn right around inside the wrap, allowing desired sleep positions.

I remember it took weeks trying to fold different fabrics, beach towels and sheets to find the kindest, most comfortable and flexible yet safer ‘wrap’.  I finally thought of the two separate pieces – one around the entire mattress, and one around the child.  I had a ‘eureka’ moment in the middle of the night and leapt out of bed to make prototype number seven.  The previous models were either too restrictive or absolutely useless and they became rags.  I was excited and yet at the same time stunned with utter disbelief at the simplicity, practicality and flexibility of it! And Cameron loved it! His body relaxed and he went back to sleeping like a baby and I experienced enormous peace of mind! It worked!

I can honestly say that at that time, the then un-named Safe T Sleep Sleepwrap was, the most helpful parenting ‘aid’ to me, next to breastfeeding, and learning positive parenting techniques.  It was also an obvious source of comfort and security to my baby as he started to sleep more restfully and longer.   It literally changed our lives overnight, and we were all much better off for the extra peace of mind and restful sleep it brought. 


Love Miriam


The Safe T Sleep Family

Why on earth did I invent the Safe T Sleep Sleepwrap?

As a young, seventeen year old nurse, single, (with no children), I can remember thinking how incredibly unbelievable and unacceptable it was that parents could allow their children to climb or fall out of cots and beds!  And of course, idealistically thinking that such things wouldn’t happen to my children in the future!  There was even an element of disbelief that such accidents could be due to cot and bed falls.

The very first time I worked on the children’s ward at the age of eighteen to nineteen years old I nursed a ten and half month old boy. I was saddened to read on his report card that he had fallen from his cot and suffered severe, permanent brain damage .

Years later, when our first child was born, I, like thousands of parents of all cultures and ages, had decided that I was going to be the most wonderful mother in the world!

At seven and a half months our baby had started pulling himself up on furniture and was walking at ten months.  As far as he was concerned, finding his feet, standing, trying to climb and walking, all replaced sleep.  I used to spend up to three-quarters of an hour lovingly trying to settle him.  I have since learnt that during the learning to stand - pulling-up stage, many babies go through a stage of six to eight weeks when, once standing up, the brain does not appear to tell them how to sit or lie down again.   During this period many, previously great little sleepers, begin to develop overtiredness, poor sleep habits, increased risk of injuries and start to drive their parents, babysitters and caregivers mad. Often the child also becomes overtired and sleep deprived with all the associated behavioural problems.

My eldest son would be extremely tired and showing obvious signs of needing sleep, but he had this primeval instinct to immediately get up on two legs as soon as the lullabies and back massaging stopped.  I would then spend up to another half an hour cuddling and distracting him, give him a drink, etc.  Then after a little while, with now an obviously overtired child, I would try again and the whole cycle would start all over again!

As if behaving like a jack-in-the-box wasn’t enough, our naturally adventurous seven and a half month old boy decided that it was also time to develop and train for his future sports career – mountain climbing and abseiling!  I had to do something as my nursing background had shown me the real dangers of cot falls.  See what I did next week....


Love from Miriam of the Safe T Sleep Family.

Up til what age can you use a Safe T Sleep sleepwrap?

We often get asked which age the Sleepwraps are suitable for and we have designed it to fit children from birth up until 3 or 4.  While most stop using the Sleepwrap once their child has transitioned to a bed it can be a very good product to have on hand when you are traveling or staying with relatives who may have different bedding arrangements to what you would use at home.


The Travel Size can fit a right up to a king size bed so this means that your children can be kept safe from rolling off beds and bunks or becoming entangled in sheets (like our picture here) and bedclothes that may differ from what you normally use.  It is also very easy to just pop into a bag and if you already use one, as part of your bedtime routine, it can help ensure continuity and better settling in unfamiliar environments.


After 18 years there are still too many deaths and injuries around sleeping and often these accidents occur outside the family home.  Miriam invented the Sleepwrap when her son started trying to climb out of his cot and having previously nursed a boy who got a brain injury from falling out of his cot she wanted a solution that kept her son safe and gave her peace of mind.  Over the next few weeks we will be going back to the heart of why Safe T Sleep was invented and what keeps Miriam still championing the cause for safer sleeping 18 years on.




Maria from the Safe T Sleep Family

How to save space, money and sanity while traveling

With Christmas holidays nearly upon us the boot of our car is suddenly looking a lot smaller than normal. It is amazing how much extra gear you need when traveling with kids. It was one of those topics that didn't seem to get covered in anti-natal class. We were all focused on the best exit strategy rather than the size of our boot but really I think it should be mandatory to include an upsize your car topic as part of preparing for baby or invest in a trailer.

It is also interesting to see how much more relaxed about gear you get as time passes. My first baby bag was always packed to the brim with every possible item I thought I might need on my trip to the shops. By the time my son arrived I would often just pop a nappy in my back pocket and wing it.

For many people the Safe T Sleep is just awesome for traveling. It is tiny enough to fit in a small bag and the travel size can be used on anything up to a king size bed. When travelling, it’s literally “a bed in a bag”. But don't take my word on it, here's what Brenda Newdick says:

Brenda Newdick

Advertising Manager

Little Treasures

2 July 1998

Miriam Rutherford

Safe T Sleep

Advantages of Safe T Sleep

As we all know with the introduction of our new family members comes the influx of baby paraphernalia!

For me I travel light at the best of times so you can imagine my horror when attempting to leave the house with baby and all the gear in tow. Yuk!

Safe T Sleep has been one of the most valuable and sensible purchases I made, it not only allows me to travel without a portable cot for weekend trips but provides flexibility when out just for the day.

The simplicity of the product allows the Safe T Sleep to be used either around a single bed mattress or on the cushion seat of a couch.

My child finds Safe T Sleep not at all restricting and due to her familiarity with the product will settle into her afternoon sleep without any problems no matter the environment she is in.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Safe T Sleep as one of the must have products due to the flexibility and peace of mind it offers parents.

Happy marketing such a wonderful product!

Brenda

The world’s most practical alternative to the portable cot. A space and money saver!

Happy Holidays and Safe Traveling from Maria and the Safe T Sleep Family

Using a Sleepwrap on a boat......tell us your story!

It's nearly holiday time, and for many people that means travelling. You may have bought your Sleepwrap for safety reasons, but there's a hidden bonus - the Sleepwrap is a great "bed in bag" that you can use anywhere with minimal fuss. It fits in the car easily around the dog, BBQ and chilly bins.

Diane Ladd's Story:

The Safe T Sleep performed very well on the boat and was attached to Anna’s bunk which is head high on me and I am 5’7”. The real test came on a trip back from Waiheke in very rolling seas which were uncomfortable for me to stand up and Anna slept safely cuddled in her Safe T Sleep for two hours.


I will be singing the praises of Safe T Sleep on the high seas this summer.
Kindest regards


Diane M Ladd RGON
http://www.safetsleep.com/boating/

Is Swaddling still in Fashion?.

I recently recorded a series off the Living Channel called “Bringing up baby” which follows 6 sets of British parents as they follow 3 different parenting gurus – Truby King from the 50’s, Dr Spock from the 60’s and the Continuum concept from the 70’s. The huge differences in the approach to parenting was really interesting as the programme followed the couples in the first 3 months of their babies lives. It is amazing that in just 3 decades there was such a huge difference in techniques and advice. I don’t know about you but I found there is a lot more acceptance nowadays of being able to choose the approach that works best for you and your family. In fact this show seemed to reinforce this attitude with all of the babies settling after 3 months but the degree to which the parents social and love lives got back on track really differed!
It seems swaddling/wrapping babies is one of several techniques that have been in and out of fashion right throughout history.


There is well researched and documented evidence to show that babies and toddlers respond well to the reassurance of boundaries and ‘nesting’. For centuries children in different cultures have been lovingly swaddled and wrapped in gauze, slings and in materials of different kinds.
Wrapping helps maintain womblike conditions and helps contain sudden involuntary movements which can often startle young babies awake, promoting safer and more restful sleeping.. It can become part of the pre sleep association for babies; they associate being wrapped with the security of sleep. This is particularly the case if the wrapping experience is a pleasant one, accompanied by quiet soothing sounds of singing or shushing or soft music. It can be an empowering settling technique for both mother and baby.
However new research out recently from the UK advises caution with swaddling especially with over heating and having the swaddling on too tight it may interfere with breathing. Therefore make sure that the swaddling is not too tight around the baby’s chest – with the Sleepwrap you should be able to get your hand between the wrap and the baby, but make sure the wrap itself is secured very tightly around the mattress so it doesn’t move. If you choose to use a traditional swaddling wrap, like a muslin cloth, be careful that it doesn’t come loose and end up around your baby’s face and you don’t bind the legs and arms too tightly as this can cause hip and breathing problems. I liked to wrap my children in Muslin for the first 3 months but they were little houdinis and I found that the Sleepwrap helped to keep the muslin swaddling in place which meant that I didn’t need to be as firm with my swaddling technique.


From Maria at the Safe T Sleep family


Frequently Asked Questions

Safe T Sleep Story - Share your own with us!

As one of the Safe T Sleep staff I thought I would share my own story regarding Safe T Sleep Sleepwrap. I have 2 children and both have been big babies, early crawlers and walkers. My daughter rolled over at 3 1/2 months onto her tummy while sleeping but was not strong enough to get back over so would either wake me with her crying or I would find her face down in the morning which scared me. I did not know of  the Sleepwrap then and so tried several methods with rolled up towels etc. I used to wrap her quite tightly too in muslin but she would always seem to wriggle out and I would find it all bunched up around her face in the morning. It didn’t seem to matter what I tried I still could not get a real peace of mind while she slept.


7 years latter my son arrived and by this stage I had met Miriam and helped her with some marketing so I did not hesitate to get a Sleepwrap. The peace of mind was instantaneous especially from the 3-4 month period on when he again started rolling and moving. The other benefits I found were that he didn’t get his arms and legs caught in the cot bars as much and in fact because the Sleepwrap is a wrap I didn’t need to bind him in the muslin wraps which are very restrictive for movement. I could also position him better so he didn’t develop a flat head – had to keep him looking cute for those kindy girls!


We have received many other testimonials from grateful parents over the years and we would love to hear about your stories too and how the Sleepwrap has made a difference to you and your family – send them in to us at sales@safetsleep.net


Warm regards
Maria Lovelock – part of the Safe T Sleep Family.