{"route":"/safety/","title":"Safety note","kind":"page","stage":null,"label":"Important","html":"<h2 id=\"read-this-once\">Read this once</h2>\n<p class=\"lead\"><em>This is the only chapter the handbook asks you to read in full before you start. It&#39;s short.</em></p>\n<h2 id=\"what-this-handbook-is-and-is-not\">What this handbook is and is not</h2>\n<p>This handbook is a structured approach to teaching young children to fall asleep with you present, then with you gradually stepping back. It is not medical advice. It is not a replacement for professional help when professional help is what is needed.</p>\n<h2 id=\"when-to-call-a-doctor-or-paediatrician-not-the-handbook\">When to call a doctor or paediatrician, not the handbook</h2>\n<p>Stop following the handbook and contact your child&#39;s doctor if any of the following are true.</p>\n<ul><li>Your child has a medical condition that affects breathing, swallowing, weight gain, or pain.</li><li>Your child is under 4 months old.</li><li>Your child has any breathing irregularity, persistent vomiting, or unusual lethargy.</li><li>Your child has lost weight, isn&#39;t gaining weight, or has slipped centiles in a way that worries you.</li><li>Reflux or food allergies are unmanaged.</li><li>A health professional has previously raised concerns about your child&#39;s sleep.</li></ul>\n<p>Sleep training is for typically developing, medically settled children. The biology under the methods in this handbook assumes that.</p>\n<h2 id=\"safe-sleep-in-one-paragraph\">Safe sleep, in one paragraph</h2>\n<p>Babies sleep alone (no other people, pets, or soft objects), on their backs, in a cot or similarly safe sleep surface. No loose blankets, bumpers, or pillows in the first year. The room is around 16–20°C. Follow your local safe-sleep authority (Lullaby Trust in the UK, Red Nose in Australia, AAP in the US) or your clinician if their advice differs from anything in this handbook. If you are not sure your sleep setup is safe, stop and read <a href=\"/foundations/safe-sleep/\">Safe sleep</a> before doing anything else.</p>\n<aside class=\"block safety\"><div class=\"block-label\">Safety note</div><p>If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or your child, stop reading and contact a crisis service. Your local emergency number works from anywhere in the world.</p></aside>\n<h2 id=\"when-this-handbook-isnt-the-right-one-for-you-tonight\">When this handbook isn&#39;t the right one for you tonight</h2>\n<p>Read <a href=\"/chapter/looking-after-yourself/red-flags/\">Mental-health red flags</a> if anything in your own state of mind is concerning you. Sleep training is harder when you are not okay. Looking after you comes first.</p>","prev":null,"next":null,"up":{"route":"/","title":"The Sleep Training Handbook"},"hubItems":null,"redirectTo":null}