carriers for infant and suffocation - not just slings...

[TravelingGal]

OK, Q: with all of these recalls for slings (infantino, I think) and suffocation deaths, what do you think about carriers for infants?

The reason I ask is that my triplet mom friend wants to get an ergo asap as she needs to hold one of the boys upright most of the time as he is having some breathing issues (she''s taking him to a ENT today).

Now, I loved my ergo, but the baby goes in sort of sitting "sidesaddle" (both feet out one opening vs straddle) and I remember doing it a few times with Amelia when she was tiny. What I noticed was that it was HOT since her head couldn''t make it over the top and it in hindsight, I wonder if carriers like the ergo for infants is also a suffocation risk.

I know lots of moms use slings with success, but I really wasn''t one of them (laziness and body temperature). What''s your two cents now on carrying infants, and what do you think is the best way to do so?

 

[qtiekiki]

I think the issues for suffocation in sling is because the baby ends up being fully covered by the sling or the baby gets buried into the parent's body since they don't have enough neck control. Infantino recalled their sling because of the deep pocket/excessive fabric.

I've been using mt mei-tai carrier with J. I just make sure his face is side way against my chest. Otherwise, the baby is upright in the carrier and doesn't have the same chance of the baby's face getting buried.

So to answer your question, I think Ergo or carriers that carry the baby upright are better option than sling, in term of suffocation risk.

 

[waxing lyrical]

Date: 3/25/2010 5:20:06 PM
Author: qtiekiki
I think the issues for suffocation in sling is because the baby ends up being fully covered by the sling or the baby gets buried into the parent''s body since they don''t have enough neck control. Infantino recalled their sling because of the deep pocket/excessive fabric.


I''ve been using mt mei-tai carrier with J. I just make sure his face is side way against my chest. Otherwise, the baby is upright in the carrier and doesn''t have the same chance of the baby''s face getting buried.


So to answer your question, I think Ergo or carriers that carry the baby upright are better option than sling, in term of suffocation risk.

Yep.

I love my Ergo. Just ordered a new one. My BabyHawk Mei Tai is nice as well. I like my Moby, but I''m lazy most times and don''t want to fiddle with wrapping. There''s a right and a wrong way to use just about everything.

I''m NOT a sling person. I didn''t start using the Ergo with dd1 until she was 3 months old. By then she had good head control. Never seemed like she was at risk given she was always in the upright position.

 

[Pandora II]

Ditto the above.

I''ve seen friends try and use slings where the baby is in a cradle position rather than upright. Often this pushes the baby''s chin down onto his chest, plus they are usually covered up with loads of fabric.

From what I have noticed with Daisy, over-heating is far more of a problem and a danger for babies than being a bit cold. She throws the covers off at night instantly. I''m snuggled under a 9 tog duvet in pjs and she''s in a thin cotton sleepsuit on the top of the duvet!

Bundling a small baby up and then putting them in a sling is not a good idea - people forget that a sling = a layer of clothing. I have a coat that goes over both of us when I go out with Daisy in the mei tai. Even when it''s freezing here, I just put her in a onesie, then she''s got the sling, my body-heat plus the coat, and a hat on her head. Yet I''ve seen friends with babies in onesie, sweater, coat plus sling and the kid going red in the face!

I used a Baby Bjorn when D was small and then switched to the Ellaroo Mei Tai. If I was starting again I would probably have got a Moby or Close plus the Mei Tai. I''ve seen the Ergo, but prefer the ease and flexibility of the Mei Tai - for a tiny baby, you just roll the sling round a bit before tying it round your waist so that the top is lower down, froggy their legs inside, and the Ellaroo has a head support that folds down with a magnet when the baby is awake and pulls up for more support when they are asleep.

 

[Mara]

J runs super hot too... he's like a little heater.

TG since you guys are in S CA then I would imagine she'd have the kid in like a onesie and a diaper or something really light given the heat anyway so no real worry of overheating, she wouldn't need to bundle them like crazy.

Personally I think that as long as the parents are 'aware' of the baby and their breathing that any kind of carrier should be fine for breathing, but I have a peanut shell sling and a bjorn and I can def see how the sling could contribute to suffocation, there's all this extra material going on. The bjorn seems fine to me because the kid's head is right under your chin so you can't really forget they are there and as long as the kid has some head control it seems fine.

I'm so tempted to get the Ergo since it's on sale today but Greg says he likes the Bjorn so now I am not sure I want to spend $80 and I don't want to spend another $25 on the insert to just use it for a few months...not sure I love the sidesaddle thing too.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

DH used one for the first year - it was a Tomy, which I think is a UK brand, but probably available online. She faced him and the head support at the back folded down much smaller so it didn''t cover a newborn''s head completely. When she outgrew it, he got a backpack type. DH is highly resistant to the stroller, for some reason.

The sling was padded where it needed to be but mesh everywhere else, to help avoid overheating. I don''t recall that she ever got too hot in it.