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. Is the plave where your baby sleeps at night not a danger to her?
There is a risk of the infant suffocating if soft bedding is used. Especially if the head sinks into the bedding. You may think a soft mattress is more comfortable for your little one, but if it is too soft, it may not be safe. Infants are not physically able to roll over and “save” themselves from the dangerous position on a soft mattress. They are not yet strong enough, and this can be fatal if no one is around to watch the baby.
Parents can prevent suffocation by ensuring that their baby has a firm mattress to sleep on. A simple test can be performed by pressing one hand against the surface to assess the resistance of the mattress. 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 need to use extra care and take precautions during this period since the infants are weak and vulnerable. Parents need to make a choice between wanting cute and wanting what’s safest for the baby. If the parents should choose the latter, they should take out all the bumper pads from the crib and refrain from putting anything that might cause danger to their babies again.
In addition, recent research has revealed that there are toxic gases in mattresses that can be detrimental to your baby’s development. Chemical compounds such as phosphouous and arsenic are being added to mattresses. They are used as fire retardants but can be very dangerous. These chemicals can react with others and release poisonous gases; if an infant breathes too much of these, he can die while sleeping in his crib.
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. Consequently, they compel parents to purchase new bedding since old bedding is more likely to contain this fungus. 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. Added to that, rather than an old used nursery bedding, a new one looks much beautiful.
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 crib bedding sets available (one of my favorites is the Trend Lab’s Maya nursery bedding), so there is no need to sacrifice style for safety.
Using these guidelines, it should be easy for a parent to determine if their baby’s nursery bedding is safe. To avoid sleepless nights, parents should just choose safe beddings for their babies, it will not only relieve them of their worries but will also let the baby enjoy his/her slumber.
