#2 Fear
Sudden infant death syndrome
"I used to check on my baby several times a night. I'd wake up and go in to make sure she was still breathing. Or I'd lay awake listening to her breathing and not be able to get to sleep." —Janey Goude, Lexington, SC

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome — commonly known as SIDS — is the unexpected and often unexplained death of a baby during sleep (though recent research points to a brain abnormality that disables a baby's ability to wake himself up when he's not getting enough air). Almost all cases occur by the age of 6 months, with the majority between 2 and 3 months. Yes, it's scary, but it's also very rare, occurring in only 1 in 1,600 American babies. And I consider SIDS to be a largely preventable disease, which means parents don't have to feel helpless.

Here's what you can do to lower the risk of this tragedy happening in your family—and, hopefully, ease your worries about it:

Put your baby to sleep on her back. The "Back to Sleep" initiative of the past decade has reduced the rate of SIDS by as much as 50 percent since 1992.
Don't allow smoking around your baby, pre- or postnatally. Exposure to cigarette smoke more than doubles the risk of SIDS.
Breastfeed your baby, if you can. Researchers aren't exactly sure why breastfeeding lowers the risk of SIDS, but it does, by as much as 36 percent, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Keep the temperature where your baby sleeps between 68°F and 72°F.
Avoid using any soft bedding — comforters, blankets, pillows, and bumpers — where your baby sleeps.

#3 Fear
Choking
"Every time my six-month-old son coughs, I get so scared, and I have to run to him. Of course, he's always fine, but I'm just so worried about choking." —Shonta Ledford, Vincent, AL

Babies are born mouthers, even enjoying the oral gratification of thumb-sucking while in the womb. Once babies develop the thumb and forefinger pincer grasp, usually by 9 months of age, they enter the "pick up and put in mouth" developmental milestone that, yes, requires careful vigilance. But you don't have to drive yourself crazy. You'll quickly learn to break up crackers, mash beans, and quarter grapes instinctively, and your anxiety level will decrease a lot. Soon, your baby will outgrow this stage and you'll get a break. Until then, here's how to take control of your stress:

Remove chokable toys. Use a toilet-paper roll to judge whether an object is a potential choking hazard: If a toy or toy part fits through the roll, it's too small and should be kept away from infants and toddlers.
Commit these chokable foods to memory: whole nuts, seeds, popcorn, hot dogs (whole or chunks), hard or gummy candy, raisins and dried-fruit pieces, whole grapes, raw carrots, raw apples, raw unripe pears, whole olives, and gobs of nut butters. Avoid giving your child chunks of bread (they can form pasty, hard-to- swallow globs in small hands).
Size it right. Before age 1, cut foods into tiny, bite-size pieces, about the size of a pea or your pinkie fingernail. Quarter grapes, slice blueberries, dice cooked carrots, break up crackers, and so on. Once your child can gum and hold his snacks and has some more teeth (generally around age 1), cut foods into short needle-like strips rather than thumb-nail-size chunks.
Take a CPR class, so that you're prepared for your natural "What if…" tendency. Find an infant and child CPR course near you at redcross.org.

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