When my nephew was three days old, I stayed with him overnight to take care of him. I did this to help my sister and her husband who were exhausted from taking care of a newborn, as all new parents are.

I can still remember that night very clearly. It was the first time I had ever held a newborn infant, and I remember feeling scared. I remember staring at him the whole night while he slept to make sure he was ok. I memorized every detail of him and every curve of his face. All the while I was thinking what an amazing and adorable little person he was.

That night I also remember staring at him to make sure he was breathing properly. No one instructed me to do this. But instinctively I watched his belly all night to make sure it was moving up and down. And when my eyes crossed from doing this so many hours, I resorted to putting my finger under his little nose periodically, and tapping him gently so that I would know that he was breathing.

Yes, this is a bit too much, looking back I realize this now. But when it comes to taking care of an infant, is there really such a thing as taking too many precautions? What I realized is that parenting requires a lot of strength and intelligence. How do people do this I wondered, and in fact I still wonder. But I think it comes down to instinct, that inate ability that is in all of us to be a good parent, or in my case a good aunt.

There are a few things in life that scare me beyond belief. An infant not breathing properly is at the top of that list. This fear has caused me to research the topic of SIDS, also known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

What I first learned is that an infant does not have a mature breathing system in the first four months of life. It is very important to put an infant to sleep on their back and check on them periodically to make sure they are ok. Putting an infant to sleep on it’s back ensures that he/she will get plenty of fresh oxygen to breathe, and also it helps to prevent a rise in body temperature. A lack of oxygen and rise in body temperature can cause SIDS.

Avoid putting an infant to sleep on their side or stomach, even for a short nap, as this doubles the risk of SIDS. The reason for this is that when an infant is young, it’s breathing system is not developed enough to wake them up if they do not get enough oxygen. If they are sleeping on their side, it is easy to roll over onto their stomach which can cause an infant to not get enough oxygen which is a dangerous thing.

As an infant enters six months of age, they are more likely to roll over onto the stomach to sleep and this is normal. At this age an infants brain and breathing system are mature enough to take in enough oxygen, and the risk of SIDS declines.

It is important not to overheat a nursery, or place your infants bed over a heat source, as overheating the infant increases the risk of SIDS. Wait until the child is a year old before putting a blanket or stuffed toys in the crib. Until that age, doctors recommend swaddling an infant in a receiving blanket to keep her/him warm.

Giving a baby a pacifier during sleep or a nap is a good thing. A Binkie can reduce the risk of SIDS, and help an infant to feel secure.

One last and very important fact is that putting an infant to sleep in the bed with you is dangerous. This is because over exhausted parents could accidentally roll over onto the baby during sleep. An infant could also, God forbid, be suffocated by a pillow or blanket.

It is safer to use a co sleeping crib that connects directly next to your bed, or you could move your infants crib right next to your bed at night. This helps to greatly reduce the risk of SIDS because a parent is better able to care for the infant, and be alerted to any type of distress that can arise. Sleeping with an infant safely close by, could give a parent enough peace of mind to feel good and get some much needed sleep.

I hope that what I have learned can help you to take better care of your infant. My nephew is six years old now, and I still stare at him when he sleeps. I also find myself staring at him most of the time. I memorize his laugh, things he says, the way he smells so good after a bath, and I always memorize his face. I don’t know why I do this. I guess it's because I love him so much, more than I ever thought was possible. I guess it’s just the way aunt’s are. It hurts to see him grow up I will admit, but at the same time I am so glad he is growing up healthy and happy, as all babies should.