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This week I saw an article in my local paper about the dangers of baby slings, which many moms use to carry their babies. Since I have a new baby niece whose mother loves babywearing, I was really concerned and passed on the article to all of the new moms I know.
Basically, they discovered that small babies can easily suffocate while being carried in a baby sling, and many have died in recent years. I remember when my kids were little, we used the slings a lot, and noticed that the baby was down so low inside the sling that they couldn't get enough air. We propped them up with blankets so their little faces would stick out when they were in the slings, so they could breathe better.
Here's some basic information about the warning, from CBSNews.com:
The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning Friday that baby slings -- which parents put around their necks to carry their babies -- may pose a risk of suffocation.
In researching incident reports from the past 20 years, the CPSC identified and is investigating at least 14 deaths associated with sling-style infant carriers, including three in 2009. Twelve of the deaths involved babies younger than four months of age.
Don Mays, of Consumer Reports, explains that the potential hazards of putting small babies -- especially newborns -- into bag-style slings arise because, "A very young infant's head will be folded forward. That cuts off the airway, and they essentially suffocate. Another problem could be if the baby's head could be nestled up against the carrier's body."
The CPSC said many of the babies who died in slings were either a low birth weight twin, were born prematurely, or had breathing issues such as a cold. Therefore, it urged parents of preemies, twins, babies in fragile health and those with low weight to use extra care and consult their pediatricians about using slings.
Hope all the moms of little ones will get this info and be extra careful with their slings!
Sunshine www.sunshine-styles.com
