Scared of SIDS

Colin,

One of the things Daddy sees way too much of are people "scared of SIDS." This is understandable to some degree, but not to the paranoid levels that many people take it. Even worse are the people who log onto the list serves or community blogs and fuel the fire of this paranoia. Daddy often wonders whether these people have any clue as to what actually scares them. All of the hand wringing over which monitor to get, which mattress to buy, whether or not to wrap it, which sleep position works best, and so on, and so on means absolutely squat since by the time you detect a problem, your baby is already dead. The last thing to stop is the breathing, so when the monitor buzzes, well, it just allows you to hold your baby while s/he is still a bit warm...nothing more, nothing less.

The other really big issue with all of these parents fretting over the specter of SIDS is that not a one of them on the message boards actually had an infant die from anything...let alone SIDS. Get a grip people! Do the best you can in raising your child. Do what you think is prudent and responsible, but stop acting like a bunch of chicken littles and enjoy your babies. The simple facts of life are that it is fragile, fleeting, and eventually we all die from something. You can not prevent SIDS, you can only follow recommendations for a safe environment and hope for the best. So from a Dad who had a mere two months with a son he will never see grow up, enjoy the time you have with your babies while they are still babies...two months goes by a lot faster than you can ever realize when they are the only two your child got.

I love you, son!
Daddy