I don’t usually post threads like this but this one caught me by surprise. It’s such an innocuous seeming thing that apparently is a serious danger.
Consumer Reports is recommended that any infant sleeper that has the child resting at more than a ten degree angle should be recalled. Apparently it can be very dangerous for infants to sleep while inclining. Several deaths are now being attributed to this.
I’m posting this to pass along the word for those who didn’t hear about this.
I heard about this on either Good Morning America or the CBS Morning News. Yes, it is a danger and I agree it needs to be brought to parents’ attention.
When my kids were infants, we were instructed to never let them sleep flat on their backs, because they might spit up & aspirate. But the linked article says this is the only way you should let them sleep. And my kids slept in little beds & seats where they were inclined about 30-40% all the time. Guess I dodged a bullet that they survived.
I have to agree with this. I ignore any health advice I hear from anyone other than my doctor (who can do examinations and blood tests) because it just keeps changing.
If I had any children, I would listen to this because:
Emphasis added.
But honestly, incidents like this are one reason I have little interest in children. Parents have to live in fear, and that’s terrible.
Reading the article, it seems like the padding is as much a part of the issue as the incline.
Here’s something on the difference between sleeping in a car seat and sleeping in a padded recliner. This article still says that babies shouldn’t be left to sleep unattended in car seats.
For many things it can be very confusing: eat eggs! Never eat eggs! Usually this is the fault of mass media completely misinterpreting scientific studies: Chocolate prevents cancer! Real story: Rats who ate chocolate had 5% less cancer than rats who didn’t eat chocolate (or whatever, I just made up the example, but it is typical). If you talked to scientists who study it, they’d probably give a very boring answer, “The research at this point is very preliminary. Cancer risk can be reduced greatly by quitting smoking and getting exercise. Eating chocolate may play a very small part in this, but we do not recommend people eat too much chocolate, or justify it based on these studies.”
However, in the case of infant sleeping, the recommendations seem to have very strong support, and the hype is deserved. For example, sudden infant death cases have declined by 50% since the early 90s when the recommendation went to back sleeping in an empty crib. It isn’t a matter of fear, but of a rare problem which can be made much more rare by doing a few simple things. Put babies down on their backs in cribs that aren’t full of cute pillows, stuffies, and other suffocation hazards.
These come with “seat belts” that you’re supposed to use. I’m sure many don’t.
Sometimes I wonder how I, or my children, ever managed to survive to adulthood. But there is such a thing as worry fatigue.
I guess I will wait until I have grandchildren, and see what the scientific consensus is then. 73 deaths are certainly tragic. But I also learned something from the advice to put my kids to sleep on their backs - as soon as they develop the ability to roll over, they are going to sleep how they want, and I cannot watch them all night and keep flipping them.
No doubt I would feel different if it were my kid who died.
Regards,
Shodan
From the link in the OP (in case anyone is looking for specifics on the inclined sleeping thing):
I realize there are safety warnings that get sensationalized. But this warning is being put out by Consumer Reports, which I consider to be a reputable organization.
All the things you’re supposed to do vs. not supposed to do with kids can be contradictory enough to give a person whiplash. I guess this will just be another one of those things people use to shout each other down over on the mommy boards.
Too bad the babies fell down on the job and didn’t bother reading these studies. Slackers.
I don’t really get the contradiction. “Back to sleep” has been a thing since the 90’s now. Inclined sleepers were never a recommendation.
I will say this. We used a Rock N’ Play Sleeper with our son. He aged out of it pretty much right before the recall happened. It was a total lifesaver for us, but it’s not worth the risk.
I do not recommend letting infants sleep in giant Acme Slingshots.
Thinking about it is fun though.
Just guessing here, but I think by the time they are capable enough to roll over unassisted, the hazard is reduced, since they can actively avoid suffocation if they find themselves in that predicament.
This made me laugh my ass off this morning. Thank you.
And enalzi, I’m not sure what part of parenting hasn’t felt like a contradiction (for me anyway)! I’ve found it the norm to receive completely opposite direction from one pediatrician to the next. If we had to take a kid to urgent care, we’d get very different advice than if we took them to the first pediatrician they saw (who switched practices) vs. the pediatrician we see now.
When we left the hospital, we were told the traditional, “Never let the baby sleep anywhere other than a crib and always make sure they’re on their back until they’re at least 6 months old,” etc. The next pediatrician we saw told us never, ever to swaddle and to have them sleep in their car seat or in a swing and, oh, even if your baby vomits from being upset (which my son did), let them cry themselves to sleep no matter how long it takes.
I love our current pediatrician’s approach which has always been, “Whenever possible have them sleep on their backs, but if neither you nor your baby has slept in days and they’re making themselves vomit because they’re so upset, then do what works for you so long as it involves a firm mattress, no padding and plenty of supervision.”
Yeah and luckily it is easier for a baby to roll from stomach to back. So by the time they are able to roll from back to stomach, they’re probably practiced going the other way.