To be utterly annoyed that things are sold for babies that aren't advised??

[minniemummy0]

I'm expecting my first baby soon. I'm 35 and consider myself fairly intelligent, and I've not been completely sheltered from babies, I've got a niece and nephew.

But honestly, it annoys me so much finding out that things available freely are potentially harmful. The two examples I can specifically think of are cot bumpers and walkers.

Even at the Mamas and Papas baby event I went to, the gentlemen who gave a talk on sleeping, which wasn't essentially an advert for their own products, said the bumper was for show and not safe for baby, and even when they are older could be used as a leg up to get out of the cot, so still not really safe.

And then now I read in another thread tonight that baby walkers stunt baby's development! What the heck! Why are they even sold?! I thought they helped baby to start walking safely! I was obviously wrong but can you honestly blame someone for presuming that?! It seems not something that would ever have occurred to me!

Aibu to think you should be able to presume baby related items are safe, and not damaging to baby, and if they are they shouldn't be bloody sold?!!!

It amazes me how lax the car seat laws are in this country. So many seats on the market that pass our very basic crash tests, but when tested more rigorously provide no protection at all. People assume that they are safe or they wouldn't be sold.

Cot bumpers, of course. Unnecessary and dangerous.

Very mixed reports about the safety of the perfect prep. It's an expensive bit of kit, but there are risks of bacteria in the filter and the hot shot not being hot enough to kill bacteria in the milk powder.

High chairs that recline. Why? Eating in a reclined position isn't safe for anyone, let alone a baby.

@Windbeneathmybingowings no academic research cited on that website though. Where is the evidence?

I understand why cot bumpers pose suffocation/strangulation risks but I don't understand how sleepyheads are safe? Surely it's the same suffocation principle with the babies face against fabric?

I get a bit judgey about bunting/mobiles on/above cots. I sew, a few friends have asked me to make bunting for their babies but I've refused as I'm not convinced they won't tie it to the cot and don't want some child strangling itself on my conscience. I see a lot of hand made mobiles on instagram/fb. Look divine but the string is too long and poses a strangulation risk if it was to break.

BTW Aveeno is manufactured by Johnson & Johnson.......

Breaded mine wasn't it was one that would have restricted his airways

I really don't think a baby could suffocate in a sleepyhead.

There's no evidence at all that perfect preps are dangerous. The issues with "mould" in the pipes were found to be from people using non branded filters in them.

The car seat laws are no more stringent anywhere else.

I don't like those sleepyheads. Their website does say not to use unsupervised so I suppose their backs are covered but they also encourage them to be used for co-sleeping and suggest that the pillowed edges will stop parents rolling on the baby which is just bonkers.

I don't have a problem with rain covers per se but the one I linked to above does appear to act as more of a seal than a cover.

@Bluefrog26 - i love the gro bag as does my baby, she can't wiggle down into it. As a new born we used the grosnug for swaddling her arms but keeping her legs free, it was brilliant.
I also only ever use isofix car seats after an incident in our last car where the seatbelt didn't lock into place and tipped our goddaughter to the side in her belted car seat, despite us yanking it locked before we set off

Also love my prep machine, not had a single issue, i use branded filters and use filtered water in the machine to be extra cautious.

You can get socket covers (in the US anyway) that replace a regular cover (called a Mommys Helper White Safe Plate) that I think look pretty cool.

But in the UK the plug sockets are made in such a way that babies cannot make a circuit by sticking their fingers, or even a screwdriver in.

As a couple of posters have said upthread, I really think it's a case of knowing the risks and taking an informed decision, weighing up against any other risks and downsides

For example we switched DDs to forward facing car seats around 15 months rather than ERF, because they were miserable RF and I reckoned the distraction from their yelling was more of a hazard (especially as most of our journeys are local ones at

High chairs that recline

I agree, you wouldn't feed a baby in a reclined high chair. The youngest nephew had a 'high chair that reclined' from birth, partly because it was somewhere to put him downstairs when they ate (they lived in a 3-storey townhouse at the time), partly because they have a dog (that lived on the bottom floor), so didn't really want him to lie on the floor around the dog all the time. Then when he was weaned, he had a high chair too.

That kind of comes back to 'whatever works best for you' and the supervision issue - he was never fed reclined, but it was the right choice for them as a family.

You know what teainbed I just had a (granted very small) look and I actually can't find a study that endorses the hipdysplasia org website. I'll have a better look when I have more than 2% battery but that's rather interesting... you'd expect there to be something. If anyone finds anything, do share. This is intriguing now!

@Hmmalittlefishy thank you very much!

This is the best information I have found about hips and narrow based carriers.
As I said before they don't cause hip dysplasia but can aggravate an existing problem. Front facing can also be too much sensory overload and they are generally not as comfortable for parent or child.
Hips - www.sheffieldslingsurgery.co.uk/2013/09/19/healthy-hips-busting-some-myths/

Forward facing - www.sheffieldslingsurgery.co.uk/2016/07/21/the-fuss-about-facing-out/

Welcome wrecking! Just didn't want you to panic and think you had done something bad. But a sling library may help you find something a little more comfy

Oh purlease. None of these things are dangerous if used sensibly/occasionally/supervising.

I would have lost my mind without a baby walker for DS. He was born bored and the size of a 3-month-old. It wasn't until he could scoot about that he stopped winging the whole time. We had no steps and a stair gate over the kitchen door. See also 'Lying in front of the TV at 5 weeks' (that was like a miracle cure).

He is now uber sporty and very bright so I think we did ok.

with the strings cut very short

That's what was commonly done in the 70s and 80s (and before?). Seems much simpler than banning things might want to cautiously use.

PARENTS might want to...

A lot of the terrible accidents sadly have cases of misuse of products or lack of supervision. Many things can be dangerous if you leave a baby unattended.

Cot bumpers (traditional thick tie ones) are risky because a baby is usually unattended in a cot and you cannot see if they have got stuck in them. A baby who can't roll freely is especially vulnerable as they could roll over and bury their face in them but be unable to roll back.

Johnson baby stuff has a lot of chemicals in it as well as perfume. I assumed it would be fine as it's for babies but I'm incredibly allergic to it. I used simple baby for my kids and my pregnant self.

Socket covers are absolutely useless at best and dangerous at worst. You cannot electrocute yourself by pushing your fingers in the socket. The third prong on a uk plug (others have 2) is an earth. The circuit is not active until this earth prong is totally pushed in. You will notice it's slightly longer as well so the socket won't activate until the entire plug in inside and the outside is flush with the socket. This is also the reason why if you knock a plug slightly it won't work.

Wow Talc "causes ovarian cancer"
It really doesn't you know. There has been talk of a link between the two. A blanket statement saying it causes OC is very wrong

Although wasn't there a woman in the US who successfully sued for that OKPedro? I may be imagining it though.

This article is interesting - and certainly not conclusive on the risks of talc and ovarian cancer
www.nhs.uk/news/2016/03March/Pages/Talc-and-ovarian-cancer-what-the-most-recent-evidence-shows.aspx