One of the most important concerns for young parents is the desire to guarantee maximum safety for a newborn child. The modern market offers a wide range of products that allow you to properly organize your life for a new mother. Especially popular are special devices that allow you to control the baby’s position during sleep, also known as positioners . Let’s consider the main features of the products and the criteria for their selection.
Why do you need a positioner?
Positioners can vary in size and shape. Models can look like a cocoon, a mattress, a pillow, etc. Meanwhile, regardless of their parameters, all products perform:
- fixing the baby in the most correct position, preventing the risk of stopping breathing during sleep (apnea) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS);
- maintaining the correct posture of the newborn from the point of view of physiology, which reduces the likelihood of digestive problems in the baby (colic, etc.);
- providing the baby with psychological protection (the design of the positioner imitates the mother’s embrace, which significantly accelerates the process of falling asleep).
Positioners will become an indispensable attribute for families who practice co-sleeping with an infant on an adult bed. Such a product will not allow the baby to fall from a height, and parents will not accidentally crush the newborn in his sleep. Most models are designed for ages up to 4-6 months, but there are analogues for older children.
Types of positioners
By its design, the positioner resembles a cocoon or a mattress made of foam materials, equipped with fasteners for fixing the baby in sleep. However, there are models with ridges sewn on the sides that limit the child’s movement and prevent him from turning over. It is worth noting that such variations do not allow you to adjust the size, as a result of which the term of their use is limited.
A separate category of positioners is products in the form of an orthopedic pillow with an inclination. Such models are often used to prevent and treat pathologies of the musculoskeletal system, for example, torticollis.
Product selection criteria
When choosing a sleep positioner for an infant, you should consider the following characteristics:
- quality of materials used in production, their environmental friendliness and hypoallergenicity;
- the presence of a water-repellent upper layer, which makes the product reusable;
- the possibility of washing or cleaning the cover of the positioner (the removable pillowcase will significantly simplify the maintenance of the structure);
- protection against tipping is provided, which guarantees maximum safety for the baby;
- presence or absence of fasteners for additional fixation during sleep.
Before buying a positioner, it is better to compare the advantages of several models, study product reviews and give preference to the most suitable option. A properly selected design guarantees a safe sleep for the child and peace of mind for the parents.