There’s so much to think about when you’re having a baby. I was just worried I wouldn’t get anything right. But, making a safe place for my baby to sleep was easier and cheaper than I thought it would be. My mom bought me a Pack n’ Play for $50. My baby girl Karon sleeps in it right in my room. And when I go to stay at my sister’s place, it folds up pretty easily and comes along with me.

When I had my babies, we put them to sleep on their tummies, I used to worry they’d spit up and choke in their sleep. Doctors have looked into that, and it’s not the case. Babies are safer and less likely to and die from SIDS if they go to sleep on their backs. Times change, don’t they…there was a time when folks thought smoking was good for you, too.

I feel for today’s new moms and dads. So much information on social media, on TV, how are they supposed to sort it out? I try to make it easy for them, so I tell them to follow the safe sleeping guidelines for their baby, breastfeed if they can, and make sure mom and baby see the doctor. There might be more depending on what they need, but you can’t go wrong with these basics.

As a man, sometimes it feels like you’re on the sidelines when you’ve got a baby on the way. Women talk about all kinds of things that men just don’t get. But I took charge and set up a crib for the baby, so he’d have his own spot for sleeping. I quit smoking, too. I’d been ready for a while, but having the baby put me over the top to stop smoking for good.

As a babysitter, you have a very big responsibility. You have to know everything a parent knows when it comes to taking care of a baby. Safe sleep, whether for a nap or bedtime, is something you have to get right. The baby has to be in a crib, on their back, with nothing else in the crib. You have to talk to the baby’s mom or dad about safe sleep-every family, every time.