CPSC and FDA warning on sleep positioners

[fieryred33143]

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10358.html

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today warned consumers to stop using infant sleep positioners. Over the past 13 years, CPSC and the FDA have received 12 reports of infants between the ages of 1 month and 4 four months who died when they suffocated in sleep positioners or became trapped and suffocated between a sleep positioner and the side of a crib or bassinet.

Most of the infants suffocated after rolling from a side to stomach position. In addition to the reported deaths, CPSC has received dozens of reports of infants who were placed on their backs or sides in sleep positioners, only to be found later in potentially hazardous positions within or next to the sleep positioners.

“The deaths and dangerous situations resulting from the use of infant sleep positioners are a serious concern to CPSC,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “We urge parents and caregivers to take our warning seriously and stop using these sleep positioners, so that children can have a safer sleep.”

Interesting. Sophia slept in one from the time she was 2 weeks through 4 months. But she also didn't move at all at night untile she learned to turn over on her side and then we stopped using it. It was one of my most favorite gifts because it helped her sleep. The warning is enough for me not to recommend it to friends anymore.

 

[orbaya]

We used a sleep positioner for one night when Evan was 1.5 months old. When hubby got up to check on him, Evan had moved enough so that his face was squashed against the side. Very scary!

 

[Mara]

we used one until J was about 3 months old since he was also swaddled. he never rolled onto his side while swaddled or in the sleep positioner BUT he would scooch down and all around and we did find him with his head in between the positioner part. however we had a mesh positioner which is the only one i would use... and even when he was with his head in between the two | | areas and turned to the side, he would still have some room, he'd not smash his head into it.

also our bassinet did not have enough room for him to move and get in between the positioner and the side. in the crib he had more space. but he'd typically 'leave the positioner behind' when he moved through it.

the mesh one came with our snuggle nest (which we never used, only the positioner!).

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I was always scared to use one. How horrible!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

UGH! I literally just bought one of these the other day and I don't think I have the box anymore so I can't take it back. It was $30 too

 

[turtledazzle]

cr*p. We *just* started using one 3 days ago. We're using a wedge one b/c we figured out our 6-week old has reflux AND he's had the best two nights of sleep since we started using it (6 hours of straight sleep both nights ... which has been a blessing since my DH is out of town this week). Like Mara, our kid is swaddled in it but he does scooch himself all the way down on it where his head ends up down between the positioners but there is still plenty of space for him to breathe and the positioners are completely covered in mesh.

I guess I'll try elevating one end of the crib mattress instead? But I think one of the reasons he likes the positioner is because he still feels "held" when we first put him in the crib. double cr*p.

Has anyone elevated the crib mattress for reflux? I've read some people use a firm pillow placed under one end of the mattress?

 

[Pandora II]

Elevating works really well. I did it anyway as D didn't like being totally horizontal. We never had any problems with reflux though.

I didn't use sleep positioners, but as D was a side-sleeper I used to put a rolled up blanket along her back so she couldn't roll back onto her back. In the UK we are advised to use bumpers and to use blankets - I think in the USA you are not. One woman in the UK was on the news recently as her 12 weeks old had a broken leg and she and her husband were accused of battering him - turned out that he had caught his leg in the slats of the crib and broken it, but he was very nearly fostered out because of it.

I'd want to see more on this research... pretty much anything seems to carry a risk these days: slings, cribs, bumpers etc. Some of these deaths may have been SIDS rather than suffocation - what were the stats amongst babies not in positioners etc. Personally I'd be more wary about putting a swaddled baby in one as they can't move themselves out of danger - even a newborn will fight hard against anything that compromises their breathing.

 

[Mara]

I agree with Pandora... weigh other risks and make an educated decision. Sleep positioners have been used for a long time before this.

Turtle in your case that is like what J would do. We elevated his mattress with a wedge and we used the SP and a swaddle. He would totally work his way out of the SP because the mattress was elevated. What the heck could we do??? If we DIDNT use a SP he would still have moved around the crib and eventually ended up against the bumper (even a breathable is still material) and if you don't have a bumper, like Pandora noted, something else can happen to the kid as well.

We had the mesh one and I would check him ALL the time to make sure his face wasn't smashed into the side. Also their deepest sleep is the first 5-6 hours so also if your child wakes up 3-4 times in the night, do they ever reach deep sleep? I always wondered that. But after 1am J is a lot more 'restless' moving around and this and that--so I always felt safer with him after 1am doing whatever in the crib because he'd always be flipping his head back and forth and moving around. But from like 7pm to midnight he would sleep more like a log and I thought was less prone to maybe get himself OUT of a bad situ (but also move less to get himself INTO a bad situ).

Anyway, not telling anyone TO use one...but like most things with parenting, judge for yourself. We thought about not using the SP but in the end it was better for us.

 

[MonkeyPie]

If we didn't use anything that was deemed "unsafe" by the supposedly smart people, then there would be nothing for our babies to sleep in. We would have to sit up holding them all night, and make sure we didn't fall asleep cause heaven forbid they sleep BY THEMSELVES OH NO!

Yeah, I have a hard time dealing with articles like this. Micah is one example of everything you are not supposed to do, and yes, something COULD have happened, but it didn't because I didn't leave him totally unattended for 10 hour stretches or something equally ridiculous. I don't ignore stuff like this, but I have an issue with following every guideline because then what the heck WOULD work for my baby if it's all "unsafe"?

Micah had a sleep positioner, and used it, when he was swaddled. After that he didn't need it so off it went. He also slept on his tummy for naps, had a pillow, used a chew blanky, and OH NO I left him alone in his bassinet with all those things. The tragedies never cease.

(Note: I am not making light of it, just making a point. Yes, it would be horrible if something happened to my baby because of something that is supposedly unsafe, but honestly...living your life in constant fear is just bad for everybody.)

 

[Mara]

MP...also holding the baby to sleep isn't totally safe either because sleep-deprived parents DO fall asleep holding their babies and then baby can roll out of the arms. Or suffocate being held too close to Mom.

Many times I do feel like many things are recalled or deemed horrible and unsafe because of a low %% of instances. NO ONE wants their child to be 'the one' and god forbid, but I also think the fear that much of this stuff instills in parents makes them even more paranoid with something that is ALREADY extremely stressful--figuring out what is best for your kid. I think it can make parents also second guess their own instincts.

 

[lucy.lucy.80]

wow thanks for the info! I was about to buy one yesterday to try it out when I was at Target.

I have been swaddling and elevating (have a wedge under the sheet) my 5 week old for the past month and it seems to work really well and she is very comfortable- it also seems to prevent rolling.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

If we didn't use anything that was deemed "unsafe" by the supposedly smart people, then there would be nothing for our babies to sleep in. We would have to sit up holding them all night, and make sure we didn't fall asleep cause heaven forbid they sleep BY THEMSELVES OH NO!

Yeah, I have a hard time dealing with articles like this. Micah is one example of everything you are not supposed to do, and yes, something COULD have happened, but it didn't because I didn't leave him totally unattended for 10 hour stretches or something equally ridiculous. I don't ignore stuff like this, but I have an issue with following every guideline because then what the heck WOULD work for my baby if it's all "unsafe"?

Micah had a sleep positioner, and used it, when he was swaddled. After that he didn't need it so off it went. He also slept on his tummy for naps, had a pillow, used a chew blanky, and OH NO I left him alone in his bassinet with all those things. The tragedies never cease.

(Note: I am not making light of it, just making a point. Yes, it would be horrible if something happened to my baby because of something that is supposedly unsafe, but honestly...living your life in constant fear is just bad for everybody.)

I feel the same way. 12 cases in 13 years is about 1 baby per year. It is very tragic when an infant dies, but you also can't live your life being paranoid that something bad will happen to your child.

James slept in the infant carrier/carseat until he was about 7 weeks old because he would not sleep anywhere else. Then, he would only sleep on his tummy....something that I was uncomfortable with until the pedi said to just try it already....and it worked like a charm. James sleeps on his tummy to this day. We have also used a blanket in the crib ever since James was born. We live in NW Ohio and it gets downright cold here in the winter; much too cold to use just a sleep sack over fleece jammies.