Time to Baby Proof Already!?!

Almost 6 months old, and she's already figured out how to roll her way around.  She's pushing up on her arms almost onto her knees and almost sitting on her own.  She can somehow push herself backwards and in circles till she is off her play mat.  I can tell when this happens because she usually cries about it.  Since she's getting bigger and able to do more things, we moved her mattress to its lowest level, only to reveal the outlet in the wall.  Crap!  Now I've got to go buy outlet plugs.  And rearrange her room, because that is the outlet that the wall switch by her door controls.

And we have to rearrange the living room, or make the dining room her play area.  We have dangerous railing by our stairs.  It is rickety and its design has huge gaps, big enough for a baby to roll under or through.  So just blocking off the stairway entrance isn't going to cut it.  We have two entrances into the dangerous kitchen, and lots of things around the house I wouldn't want a baby to get into, even in her bedroom.  It seems the perfect solution is to give up the dining room and make that her play area.  Then all I have to do is plug off those outlets and block those entrances.

I was pretty certain we'd not be living in this house by the time she was mobile.  Now I have no idea how much longer we'll be living here so it's baby proofing time.  Right now it's just the minimum, outlet plugs and removal of long cords, and baby gates.  Eventually she'll be walking and I'll have to revisit the baby proofing to include safety handles on door knobs, drawer and cabinet locks, toilet locks, and I'm sure a whole slew of things I never thought about.

Terrified of SIDS

I cannot imagine what it is like for a parent to lose their baby.  But to lose a baby suddenly, without known cause, this fear envelopes nearly all my parenting choices.   I can't count how many times I've had to check to make sure she's still breathing or hasn't pulled her blanket over her face, rolled over to her tummy, or some other risk factor that requires I rush in quietly to fix.

I've read a lot about risk factors and how to reduce the risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS.  What the main cause seems to really boil down to is lack of oxygen and sleeping too deeply.  Babies sleeping on their tummies, pulling blankets over their face, burrowing into pillows, soft mattresses, or bumper pads, and being too warm are all risk factors.  But there is one other probable factor and that is simply failure to thrive.

Just when I think I've got all the risk factors under control I learn about a new one.  Last night for no apparent reason she was sweating.  She felt clammy.  I took her temperature.  A little up but nothing for alarm.  And then I did a little internet research.  Big mistake.  What do I find?  Sweating is a risk factor for SIDS, because sweating can indicate a heart problem.

These articles are never indepth enough.  So it meant a light sleep for me last night as I worried my baby might not wake up.  When in all reality she was probably just hot.  She did just get a possible heat rash on her belly the other day.

Bottom line, some things we can't control.  Do all that you can to reduce the chance of SIDS.  And then stop worrying.  Easier said than done.