Posts Tagged ‘Sudden Infant Death Syndrome’

Are you sure that your baby bedding is safe?

2nd November 2009 by Babies No Comments


Reports have shown that there are more than 6000 babies die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) each year and out of these cases, more than 900 cases are due to babies sleeping on soft baby nursery bedding. Therefore, is your baby bedding safe for your child to sleep in?

Soft baby nursery bedding can cause an infant to suffocate when the baby is being placed on her belly and her head sinks into the soft mattress. Cushy mattresses are comfortable for babies, however they might not be as safe as one might think.As infants are too feeble, when their heads are being placed on the soft mattress, they might not have the strength to roll over to recover from the dangerous position. Disastrous accidents might happen if no one is around to take care of the baby.

To avoid such accidents, parents can select a baby nursery bedding with a firm mattress that does not get depressed easily when some weight is being applied on it. Parents can simply experiment it by pressing one hand against the mattress to assess it’s strength in resisting the force applied. The stronger the resistance of the bedding, the better it is.

Bumper pads, which many might not know, can cause suffocation. Bumper pads make the baby nursery bedding look cute and pretty, however, suffocation can happen when infants have their face pressed against the soft and fluffy bumper pads and are unable to free themselves.

nfants are weak and vulnerable during this period, and parents should be more careful when it comes the safety of your child. Some people suggest to purchase bumper pads that are more compact and firm while others just remove all of them from the crib. The second method being the better one because, though rare, there are also cases of strangulation by the strings of the bumper pads and suffocation when babies are pressed between the bumper pads and another object.

Researchers also observed that there are poisonous gases in mattresses which can harm the baby’s health . They discovered that there are certain substances containing phosphorous and arsenic which are used as fire retardants, are being added to mattresses which can be very dangerous. Once these chemical compounds interact with certain reactants, they release poisonous gases which may be fatal if a baby breathes in a large amount of it when sleeping in the baby nursery bedding.

Scientists later found that a fungus that frequently grows in baby bedding might be one of the reactants which can help to release the poisonous gases. Therefore, they urge parents not to reuse old baby nursery bedding which may contain such fungus after being used for a long period of time. Although, infants sleep in cribs for a couple of months or longer only, parents should buy new bedding instead of reusing to avoid the existence of such fungus. Furthermore, a new baby nursery bedding will look prettier than an old reused one.

Looking at all these factors, parents should be able to evaluate if they have a safe baby nursery bedding. Otherwise, go get a new one and select one safe bedding so that not only will your baby be able to sleep safe and sound, but you will have a good rest every night without worries.

Is Your Infant Bedding Dangerous?

28th May 2009 by Babies No Comments


Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) claims the lives of over 6000 babies yearly, with more than 900 of these deaths caused by soft baby bedding. That brings to mind the question, is your baby bedding safe?

When you place the baby on her belly, her head may sink into the mattress and cause suffocation if the bedding is too soft. Despite being comfortable for babies, soft mattresses may be dangerous for little ones. They might not have the strength to roll over to recover from the dangerous position and the fatal accidents might happen if no one is around to take good care of the little one and as infants are too weak, when their heads are being placed on the soft mattress.

Parents can prevent suffocation by ensuring that their baby has a firm mattress to sleep on. By applying force to a certain mattress one can actually feel it resisting the weight and it’s actually one way of discovering the mattress strength. The more resistance a mattress demonstrates, the better the mattress.

The crib is where babies should be safe, but too many times parents do not realize the danger they are in when they are in their cribs. Bumper pads are carelessly added in the crib without thinking that they may suffocate a baby if it will totally cover a baby’s face.

Parents should have care and precaution because infants are vulnerable and weak during this period. Buy firm bumper pads because there are rare cases of strangulation from bumper pads that have strings, or suffocation from bumper pads that yield to heavier objects.

In addition, recent research has revealed that there are toxic gases in mattresses that can be detrimental to your baby’s development. Some researchers have found that phosphorus and arsenic which are generally used as fire retardants, are added to mattresses which can be very harmful. Poisonous, lethal gases are released once these chemical compounds interact with reactants. Baby naturally breathes in a large amount of it during sleep, and this can be fatal.

It’s ironic but the fungus sometimes found in a baby’s bedding, that we thought is harmful, is actually the one helping to release poisonous gases according to some findings. Do note use nursery bedding which may contain fungus. This may happen if the bedding has been used for a long time. Because infants only sleep in cribs for a short period of time, parents may be tempted to reuse old bedding. However, to avoid the existence of such fungus, this should not be the case. Besides, new baby nursery bedding will be prettier and more personalized than an old, reused one anyway.

In addition, there is some concern about synthetic fabric in baby bedding sets. While there is no solid proof that synthetic fabrics are harmful to a baby, you may want to stick to natural fibers. There are plenty of stylish cotton baby bedding sets available (one of my favorites is the Trend Lab’s Maya crib bedding), so there is no need to sacrifice style for safety.

Parents should be able to guage the safety of their baby’s bedding if they consider all these factors. If not, purchase a new, safe bedding option so that your baby can sleep safely and you can sleep without worries.

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