I remember when my baby brother was born, my mom filling out all these product registration little cards for some of the baby products.  She told me that she was filling out these cards so that a company could contact her in case they discovered that their product was found out to be dangerous and they could let her know.

Now in the days of the internet there are places we can go to get the information ourselves – http://www.recalls.gov/ which seems to take you to http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prerel.html   I don’t find the website to be the most user friendly.  I had to do some digging to finally find the information on one of the most recent product recalls for babies – the Infantino model of Baby Slings.   You can sign up for rss feeds so that you can be automatically alerted to a new recall. I have signed up and I’ll let you know in a later blog how that works.

There are two models of baby slings currently being recalled due to the risk of suffocation, both made by Infantino.  There have been 3 baby deaths reported.   I have read several discussions on whether these risks could be present in slings not involved in the recall.

According to the executive director and general counsel of Safe Kids USA, any sling that puts children in that curved, chin-on-chest position is not safe because infants in the first few months of life lack the strength to turn their head if their nose and mouth become covered by the sling or pressed against the carrier. Moreover, children’s airflow could be restricted if they are put in the sling in such a position that their chin rests on their chest.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has indicated that all slings do not pose the same hazards as the recalled models.    “There are safe ways to use slings,” says Patty Davis, a spokesperson with the CSPC. “They’ve been used safely for centuries.”    The two Infantino slings are dangerous because they are “deep pocket slings where there’s no way for the baby’s face to be clear of fabric in pouch,” says Ms. Davis

According to the CPSC warning, babies positioned correctly in a sling should have their chin up, face visible and nose and mouth free at all times. Parents and caregivers should also be vigilant about frequently checking on their baby while the child is in any wearable product.

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association posted some of the best tips I have found on using a sling or any wearable infant product.

• Make sure baby’s face is visible at all times.
• Baby’s head should not be covered by any fabric.
• Parents and caregivers should be able to look at baby’s entire face when they are wearing the child.
• Be sure that baby is not hunched with chin touching chest.
• Baby’s face should not be pressed tight against wearer.

To read the full infant sling warning issued by the CPSC on March 12, 2010 visit http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10165.html.

MiracleMunchkins.com

1 Comment

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  By Linda Woody, March 28, 2010 @ 5:03 am

  Thanks for the kind words about the JPMA’s sling and wearable infant product safety tips. It’s great to have bloggers helping to communicate and spread the word to parents and caregivers.

  Thanks!
  Linda (on Twitter @JPMA)

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