Table 3.

Quotes about parental reasons for sleep decisions

Q1. I want her to sleep exactly how she is [in the crib] but she just seems uncomfortable or whatever like she want to be close to something, so I want to get her to that. [African-American Mother]

Q2. She is a side sleeper. She rolls on her back sometimes, but she’s more comfortable on her side. [African-American Mother]

Q3. But I feel if she’s comfortable, then okay, have them sleep on their stomach. We can—we sleep on our stomach, we never have a problem. [African-American Mother]

Q4. Because you’re making sure the baby’s comfortable, maybe, or you think they’re comfortable. It seems like the baby wants a blanket too. I can’t sleep without a blanket, even if it’s hot. [American Indian Supporter]

Q5. I think it’s important… that they’re telling us how the baby should sleep, but I still think babies, they are different. They’re going to do their own thing. If they—if he likes to sleep on his side and don’t like his back, then every time he sleeps then he roll on his side. I can’t change the way he sleeps. I mean, I could, but if he feel comfortable on his side, then I let sleep on his side. [African-American Supporter]

Q6. I just feel safer with my baby next to me or by her dad. [American Indian Mother]

Q7. When we first brought her home from the hospital I was too scared to fall asleep the first couple of days she was home. So I was kind of awake for two or 3 days straight holding her at night and then when her father would get up in the morning he would take baby and then I would sleep for a little while. We had a Boppy Pillow and we put blankets in it so that it was like at an angle and she would sleep in the middle of it. And I just felt like she was safer there because I could roll over and put my hand on her belly and feel her breathing. [American Indian Mother]

Q8. But a lot of people… who say they can’t feel their baby or something, that’s just crazy to me because my instincts as a mother… When he move in his sleep, I’m jumping up, so I just don’t understand it, how you can’t. [African-American Mother]

Q9. I think my biggest worry is him sleeping in the crib… It’s not far away, but still at the same time, he’s not right here. So I’m constantly getting out of my sleep trying to look at him, trying to make sure he’s okay. [African-American Mother]

Q10. It was, one time on the news, they said a baby was in a crib sleeping, somehow the arm got locked up in one of the things, and the arm had come off and stuff like that, like broke the arm and stuff. [African-American Mother]

Q11. I slept with all my babies and they’re all alive. [American Indian Mother]

Q12. And going and getting him in the middle of the night, it’s just I’m just too lazy and tired… It’s just much easier for me to try to get some sleep and bring him into bed with us. [American Indian Mother]

Q13, I also know, when you’re a mom and you get like, really, really tired, I have done it where I have laid the baby in the bed and been this way, facing her. But when you’re tired, and you get to moving in your sleep, I’ve woke up and been facing that way. So yeah, I understand what you guys are saying [about always being aware where your baby is], but when you’re tired, and you’re just dead beat tired, you get to moving in your sleep, and you don’t know always which way you’re moving, because I’ve done it plenty of times, and the baby has kind of been, like, facing me, and it’s like, “Okay, but I was laying this way.” So it can happen. [African-American Mother]

Q14. But in the middle of the night, I’ll pick him up when he needs to eat, and I’m tired, and I’ll just feed him the breast, and hope he don’t suffocate, really, I’m so tired. [African-American Mother]

Q15. I don’t like him to sleep with me. You know, you might roll over on him or anything. You know, I had a bad experience with my 7-year old because I actually did roll over on her, you know. And it’s just not a good idea. [African-American Male supporter]

Q16. We’re all busy, we’re all working… When you get home…, you’re exhausted. You’re like, I’m not going to fight with this baby to put them in a safe place that I know is safe. What else can I do? How else can I, instead of just a flat cold hard mattress, what are some other alternatives for safe sleep? [American Indian Mother]

Q17. I think you should give a tip on how there can be a safe way the baby can sleep in the bed instead of just saying, no, you can’t do it. [African-American Mother]

Q18. Especially if you are having that many problems putting your [baby to bed], trying to follow safe sleep steps and you’re having problems. I think if there was something that … had a list of safe alternatives, … instead of waking up every 15 min to adjust your baby, you’d actually read it to see if something can accommodate you. [American Indian Mother]

Q19. They, they [brochure authors] can’t possibly have children, because getting a baby… to do exactly what you want it to do in its sleep, you’d have to be, like, a night owl, to sit up and watch the baby. Oop, you’re not on your back any more, flip you back over… [African-American Mother]

Q20. I definitely fear that I won’t be able to get her out of my bed. My son had that issue and still, from time-to-time, I wake up at 3:00 in the morning and he’s in my bed. It becomes an attachment issue, kind of like what she was saying. They kind of feel like your bed is their bed as well, you know, and I just don’t want him to be four, five and six still in my bed. [African-American Mother]

Q21. I am putting them on their backs in their cribs a lot more. Because I’d rather have them sleeping in their cribs than with me because I have an almost 3-year-old and she sleeps with me all the time. And I want my own bed; I want my bed back. [American Indian Mother]

Q22. Well, it took me a long time to convince her to start letting the baby sleep in the bassinet…. Like I said, I had a 1-year old so we just got done going through this and she sees how much, how hard it is to get my daughter to sleep in her own bed. So now, it’s easier for her to, you know what I mean, just let that go. Like I ain’t trying to deal with fighting with no more kids, so she just …went ahead and put her in the bassinet, so it was easy. [African-American Male supporter]