To worry about the safety of baby headbands?

[CatThiefKeith]

A few women in my friendship group and/or with children in dd's class have had baby daughters recently, and have all been putting flowers and bows on their babies heads. They have all been bought from a local seller on FB I believe.

AIBU to worry that:

1. They may not conform to safety standards and therefore pose a choking risk and

1. It will be 30 degrees here by Monday, the poor little mites might overheat.

Headbands are similar too, but slightly larger than the ones shown.

*user146 etc:

You don't mean you actually think they are tasteful and acceptable?*

Bit rude, ailith.

What a mess of a post I made. I got distracted by the huge headbands...

Wonder if the new born is wearing a baby wig??

Babies with conductive hearing loss need to wear headbands to hold on bone conductive hearing aids. Somehow they seem to manage without strangling themselves/choking/overheating/having dire warnings from the doctors about how they are going to deform the baby's head (would be a bit odd if they did as the hospital will actually give them a headband).

So probably their hearing peers aren't at significantly increased risk of any of those things either.

Tragically presumably though the headbands the hospital gives out aren't made from cheap polyester with a large flower on it, held in place by a massive diamanté either on a pin or stuck precariously on with glue?

I can't imagine they buy them off our local FB seller either.

I'm not knocking headbands, I'm asking if the ones I've seen locally, retailing for less than a fiver, are a choking or overheating risk.

Bit of a difference between headbands given out by the hospital for medical reasons and tacky headbands made as a fashion accesory out of cheap materials with ridiculously large flowers super glued to them

Really enjoying your judgemental rubbish. It makes me feel good about myself to know that I'm not the most judgemental person there is. They all post here instead.

They're vile. But generally the only people who put these one their babies' heads are the ones whose babies look like potatoes so...

Any small parts can be a choking risk if a child is left unsupervised with them and hats, hoods etc can cause overheating if children are wearing them in warm weather/when sleeping. So if parents are supervising their babies and sensible then headbands aren't risky. Whether they look nice is a personal choice.

((Controversial opinion here...pls keep in mind I had a baby girl and she had no hair for a while))

Whilst being impractical, dangerous and not essential they are UGLY!! Why does a lil one need it?! They don't. Baby girls are not an excuse to be dressed up like a dolly!

Ott and frankly pretty naff ........ A bit like those dummy clips with the child's name on don't shoot me down its my opinion

These are the most hideous baby accessory fad I have ever seen and are naff beyond words.

The only sentiment they invoke in me when I see them stretched taut around some poor baby's head is utter pity and an overwhelming desire to free the baby's head.

I usually don't like them but you can't deny mini Badabingers and mini DontDead look cute. I also think the big blousy flowery ones are a bit Big Fat... IYSWIM

I'd worry about the strangulation risk and the choking risk of ones that haven't been properly tested.

What about bows in little girls hair? Are they a choke risk? Kate Middlington doesn't seem to think so.

I'm not sneering at any baby's appearance; not least as - at the risk of stating the astoundingly obvious - it's not the baby's choice that it has been decorated with a 3 inch wide tight band and a mahoosive diamante flower.

I only know one child who wears a headband for hearing loss and hers is a narrow one with pretty painted hearts on - IE zero resemblance to, or relationship with (in every way from comfort to safety) the monstrosities detailed above being foisted upon babies heads.

Mothercare does soft headbands with bows or flowers on - if I have a DD I may be tempted to use one to avoid the boy or girl comments that get tiresome or keep hair off face

I wouldn't use a mahoosive flower from Facebook selling sites though as I would be worried over safety but I would assume mothercares have been tested for safety

Could have done with the babyglue for my dd, would have happily spent hours whittling horns.

Usual I haven't once taken the piss, or indeed said anything derogatory, other than I'm not convinced the particular headbands I have seen wouldn't conform to safety standards.

But you just carry on judging, 'm used to your snide remarks by now.

Unless you're new to MN OP I can't believe you didn't know how this thread was going to go.

Not particularly new, no.

Ha ha at CTK being new to MN. I never know who anyone is but definitely know her!

YANBU. They look fucking ridiculous and if be worried about choking too. My (much older) DD has some ribbon hair bobbles with little diamontes in the middle, eventually they are coming off and a baby could easily get it and put it in her mouth. Totally choking hazard, as are those stupid customised dummies you can usually get on Facebook. I'm surprised they don't come up with a choking hazard special hamper. The have hampers for everything else!

No, Keith, people are obviously choosing to ignore my experience with these god awful things, as it doesn't suit their cutesy image of the bands.

Btw, I think it's to do with the placement, and obvious requirement for snugness to keep them in place which causes the overheating, when hats don't. My wig was a close second.

I really only every come across this sort of attitude on here. Of course we all have different opinions on what is tasteful and what isn't, otherwise we'd all look and dress the same. That much is obvious. What always surprises me though is the sneering at how people dress their babies. You don't like how a baby is dressed? Great, don't dress yours like that then. Don't comment. Move on.

Personally, baby headbands are not to my taste. Do I care if other people put them on their babies? No. Am I going to huddle up with my other mum-friends and roll my eyes at the headband-wearing babies as their roll past in their prams? No.

I know the thread was initially started about the health and safety of headbands, but as previous posters have already made clear that is just absolute nonsense and it quickly lead to the inevitable "ugh" and the "they are so cheap" comments.