cradle project

Today we're going shopping for some foam rubber to cut and fit in between the sides of Ruth's cradle and the mattress. On two sides of the mattress, there are deep spaces about four inches deep and three inches wide. This was caused by the angle of the side boards of the cradle. The mattress does not fit snugly against the cradle sides. According to online wooden cradle guidelines for sleeping, the surface area should be free of gaps of any kind. When the baby gets old enough to roll around, we will be unable to have her continue sleeping in the cradle. If a baby is kept in a cradle and rolls around, she could roll to the sides and get caught in the space between the mattress and side or trap herself against the side and be unable to breathe. Our baby upon first signs of rolling, will graduate to a pack and play bassinet and from there move to a crib. The cradle precautions are necessary to prevent SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

Now you may ask why we would want Ruth to go from a cradle to a pack and play to finally sleeping in a crib. We want to make use of the cradle since it was hand made by my grandfather and will be a future heirloom for generations to come. Secondly, Ruth's nursery (bedroom where we have her crib) is located on the other end of the house and getting up multiple times to feed and change Ruth would be a pain in the neck. I cannot imagine waking up in the middle of the night to race (rather stumble) across the kitchen and living room to pick up a crying child. Therefore, we will have easy access to Ruth in our room using the cradle and pack and play during the first months of her life. We are still debating whether or not to temporarily place the crib in our room until she can sleep through the night. Ah the life of new soon-to-be parents!