How Long Can a Baby Stay in the Cradle?

Benefits

• Infants are easier to soothe in a cradle, because it mimics movements experienced before birth. Some wind-up cradles mark the rocking pace by a thunk or click, mimicking the human heartbeat. A 1967 study by Dr. Mary Neal revealed that premature infants rocked in a cradle gained weight faster, lifted their heads sooner, had stronger grasps and were given earlier discharge from the hospital than those who had not been rocked.

Construction and History

• Cradles have been carved from logs by applying hot coals and scraping away the scorched wood. Cheyenne cradle boards were flat pieces of wood with a soft, beaded cloth covering, worn like a backpack. Cheyenne mothers leaned them against trees or tied them to a horse's saddle horn, where the boards would sway gently in the breeze.

Child Development

• Once a child lifts his head and turns over, he can fall out of the cradle and get injured, or roll onto his face and smother. Most infants lift their heads between 2 and 3 months, according to the developmental milestone charts at the American Academy of Pediatrics. According to Drs. Jeanne Ackerman and Enid Gilbert-Barness of the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, positional asphyxia, from the infant turning onto his stomach and getting his face wedged against the side of a swinging cradle, could easily kill an infant who is not in his mother's line of sight and hearing.

Prevention/Solution

• Transfer your infant from cradle to crib the first time she lifts her head and turns over. Use a swing or sling for rocking, instead. Place the crib mattress at its lowest setting once the child is able to pull herself into a sitting or standing position. If the child seems distressed at her new freedom, wrap her in a tightly-tucked favorite blanket and rock her until she is reassured.

Regulations

• The Consumer Product Safety Commission regulates cribs but not cradles. The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) has issued voluntary safety guidelines for cradles. The JPMA certifies cradles that meet or exceed the standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials. These standards include:

  1) Slats no more than 2 inches apart.

  2) A wide, almost flat base and locking mechanism to prevent rocking once the infant is asleep.

  3) High, smooth, one-piece cradle sides.

  4) Non-toxic, lead-free paint.

  5) Roll bars on each side of the rockers to prevent tipping.