5 Quick and Easy Fixes for Babies that Roll Off Sleep Wedges

How You Can Help Your Baby Stay on Their Sleep Wedge

Sleep wedges are very useful for infants, as they help them elevate specific areas of their body while sleeping, and can help reduce issues such as reflux and breathing problems. However, infants are fussy and squirmy, and they typically like rolling everywhere – including rolling off of their sleeping wedge. Below are five simple and easy to do fixes for your baby rolling off of their sleep wedge.

1. Ensure the Sleeping Wedge Is Beneath the Sheet

If your sleep wedge isn’t secured underneath the mattress covers or sheets, the wedge will most likely move around in the crib once your baby starts moving around. We all know by now that babies do not sit still for sleep, so as soon as your baby moves, it’s likely that the sleep wedge will move as well. It also depends on the type of material of both the sheet and sleep wedge. If either of those are slippery, it will also cause the sleep wedge to move around even more, which will eventually cause your child to roll off of the wedge.

To prevent this from happening, ensure that the wedge is under the mattress cover. By doing so, you’ll ensure that it is secure and won’t move around when your child does.

Remember that sleeping wedges are designed to be kept underneath the mattress covers/sheets. The reason for this is that you risk your baby’s chance of suffocation by putting the sleep wedge above the mattress and sheets. Your baby could easily get their head or face stock between the wedge and sheets or mattress.

2. Raising Their Crib

It might be worth trying to raise their crib entirely instead of using a sleep wedge at all. Some parents have had success raising one end of the crib/mattress to help prevent your child rolling around in it. Parents have had good results using books to raise the crib ends surprisingly enough. You have a fairly good amount of freedom in how much you want to raise the crib.  Ensure that everything is as steady and secure as possible. Books such as dictionaries or encyclopedias are often good choices because they are thick, heavy, and well-made.

Obviously, this option is for parents who are trying to save money and might not have the available resources to get a sleep wedge for their baby. However, although it might seem unsafe, if you go about this in a smart and safe way such as testing with gradual increases to the ends of the crib, it shouldn’t be too hard to find some success. Remember to be as safe as possible and talk to your pediatrician about deciding to raise your baby’s crib at all before you do so.

3. Ensure That Your Sleeping Wedge Size Is Appropriate for Your Child

It’s entirely possible to have a sleep wedge that has an incline that’s too steep for your baby, which is making them constantly roll off of their sleeping wedge. Remember that before you even decide to use a sleep wedge, check with your pediatrician to make sure that your child needs one in the first place. Whenever you aren’t sure about anything, it’s always absolutely vital that you check in with your pediatrician before making an important decision regarding your baby and their health. Remember to not make the incline too steep as you can eventually cause even more problems with your baby’s breathing or reflux.

4. Using an Anti-Role Sleep Swaddler

Another great way to help prevent your child from rolling off of their sleeping wedge is to make sure that you secure them snugly on their back with a swaddle blanket – preferably made of Velcro. You know sleeping wedges are great and very useful, but babies seem to easily slide off of them if there’s no safeguard in place. I highly recommend the Tranquillo Safe Sleep Swaddler. The great thing about this is that it helps secure to your mattress, as well as your baby by using Velcro. It even fits many mattresses and standard crib sizes as well. Not only is it extremely comfortable and can be adjusted for the best possible fit for your child, but it helps reduce the risk of falling over and out of the crib as well. Another great aspect of this swaddler is that it’s safe for your baby and there are no harmful chemicals involved. Plus, it’s travel-accessible and ready to go. It’s also made of cotton and is entirely machine washable.

There are many different sleep wedges that you can purchase for your child, and maybe you simply have a wedge that’s not compatible with them. I highly recommend trying out different wedges and returning the ones that didn’t seem to fit your baby well. Not all wedges are made with the same quality, materials, and so on, so it’s important to find one that’s regarded as a good quality sleep wedge. It’s so important to make sure that you fully research and find a wedge that is well reviewed, because this way you know that other parents have had success with it as well.

5. DIY

For parents who want to save money, or are simply sick of trying products that don’t seem to work for them or their baby, you can always DIY your baby a suitable and safe alternative so that they don’t roll down or around. What a lot of parents do is they make a horseshoe formation and will use something such as towels to help form it. You can roll a towel down so that it’s long and thin, and essentially what you’re going to do is form a horseshoe shape at the bottom of the wedge. You should aim to try to get your baby’s legs hanging over the bottom of the horseshoe and make sure that it’s secure. Remember to not add anything that you don’t need to your baby’s crib, as it increases the risk of SIDS aka sudden infant death syndrome via suffocation. A good way to avoid this is ensuring that the towel is underneath the sheet or the mattress pad, so that there is no way for your baby to accidentally get covered up underneath it.

FAQ

Do I Even Need a Sleep Wedge? Are They Safe?

Before you even consider getting a sleep wedge, try to talk to your pediatrician about whether you think that this idea is good for your baby. Never assume that you think you know better than a doctor or pediatrician who have been trained in this field and have years upon years of research and experience.

Just like anything else you purchase; it always poses the threat of having hazardous materials or not being well-made. The same can be true for sleeping wedges. Remember to research for a long time before you consider even purchasing one. Try to find one that is highly reviewed and has plenty of parent’s and their experience that you can read and determine if it would be a good fit for you or not. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, always!

How Long Should My Baby Stay Upright After A Feeding?

If your baby is between 0 to 6 months old, then a good rule of thumb is to keep them upright for roughly 10 to 15 minutes after they feed. By doing so, you might even help with any potential issues with reflux too.

Why Is It Important for Babies to Lie Flat?

By ensuring that your baby lies flat, you’ll be giving them the correct position to help their lungs and breathing, along their spine develop in the proper form. Cribs are designed so that babies lie flat, with very little room to adjust to. Make sure whenever you hold your baby to keep their head upright and well-supported, as it is the ideal position that is the most safe and secure. If you ever suspect there’s something wrong with your baby, remember to always call your pediatrician and seek their professional advice before you do anything that you aren’t entirely sure about.