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Original poster

Amby hammock recall (US)

76 replies

jellybeans · 08/12/2009 20:05

I just read that the Amby Hammock beds are being recalled in the US after 2 baby deaths
I think they are sending out a repair kit in 2010, not sure if UK customers can get one though. I used an Amby bed from 8 weeks to 12.5 months as my son was a terrible sleeper and has reflux. Had no issues with it but had him right by my bed and used a breathing alarm.
If you are using one there is advice on Amby's american site about making sure your hammock doesn't tilt.

OP posts:
newkiwi · 09/12/2009 21:12

I think the fact that they are sending out repair kits means that hammock as such are not dangerous- but there is a problem with the way it can hang. I've got the Miyo hammock which is slightly different. It doesn't have the flat bottom but curves to the babies shape. I'm hoping this is safer as it is hard to turn over in it. DD has been turning on her side and we moved her to a cot this week.

The Amby hammock is being used in hospitals here in NZ. So I think you just need to be sensible and move babies as soon as they are turning.

JimmyMcNulty · 09/12/2009 21:35

"i don't really understand, tbh, it's pretty easy to know whether they can move about and whether or not their head is upside down."

They didn't say to stop using it when the baby could move about, though, quite the reverse - used to be advertised as up to 12 months. As for the head being upside down - maybe ds2 has an exceptionally heavy head but we had to fiddle about with the hammock a lot (not in the instructions) to get his head in the right position. I don't think dh and I are especially dim and we didn't find it easy.

Original poster
jellybeans · 09/12/2009 21:37

I used my Amby till 12.5 months (from 8 weeks) and DS never rolled in it, he loved it, but I was always paranoid anyway as he has been in hospital with reflux so put the respisense monitor on in case he didn't breath. I never left him in it awake, couple of times in the morning he thrashed around in it and it tipped sideways but not face down, but when he was in his grobag he was cocooned flat on his back. Never looked dangerous. 2 deaths is too many though even accounting for errors. Shocking too that the father didn't get instructions with a baby product. We always adjusted the bed so that DS head was higher but this was harder to do as he got heavier and his feet looked to be tipping up more..
I feel so sorry for that dad and the other family/ies. I can't imagine the horror of that. Unimaginable. Very brave of the families to come forward highlighting possible dangers. I read somewhere that there were 3 other injuries (Canadian site I think) and 1 other possible death of a twin baby but he had other respitory (sp?) disease so it wasn't certain if the hammock was the cause.

OP posts:
AitchTwoToTangOh · 09/12/2009 21:37

i did say the instructions could be clearer and the point is that you DIDN'T leave his head upside down, surely? both dh and myself are exceptionally dim and we didn't find it at all difficult to put the baby in properly.

PacificMistletoeandnoWine · 09/12/2009 21:47

I am so shocked to read about this! The poor families!

I bought a used Amby and I think will still be using it but I am sure will be much more aware of position of baby/swaddling/moving them out when more mobile.

Mind you, I am also a co-sleeper...

JimmyMcNulty · 09/12/2009 21:54

Ah, well, re comparative dimness, maybe ds2 has a correspondingly heavier brain then...
(not sure about putting a wink smiley on such a sad thread but imagine a sober winking one)

louii · 10/12/2009 11:03

I e-mailed Amby uk and got this back.

We will be posting a press release on our site on Monday, the Amby has not been recalled in Australia or the UK, if you want further information before Monday please call
01959 533130

Best regards
Angela

YanknChristmasCrackers · 10/12/2009 16:54

I emailed both the Amby UK sites and got a similar response.

I'm very curious to know if the ones sold in the UK and Australia are different to the ones sold in the U.S. and Canada. Or are they all made in China, as my Amby (bought in the U.S.) is?

chocolaterabbit · 11/12/2009 09:26

I've emailed Amby US to ask if the modification will be available in the UK and when. No reply yet.

Mine (bought in the UK) seems to look the same as the pictures so am assuming it is one of the reacalled ones.

roary · 11/12/2009 14:38

I used my Amby until DD was 13 months. I have to say that she used to occasionally sleep with her face right up against the fabric side but it is very, very thin (like a sheet) and she didn't do this until she was quite old (about 6 months) at which point I'd stopped worrying about her sleeping with things over her face!

I have to say that I do think that this sort of accident is equally likely with a cot bumper or sheets, and people still use those (even though the advice is often given not to). I'm expecting again and will probably use the Amby again. I just can't for the life of me figure out how it is any more unsafe than a regular cot.

On the tilt question: I put a large, heavy duty safety pin through the velcro bit at the top that allows you to tighten the 'head' end and so the head was always above the feet.

PacificMistletoeandnoWine · 11/12/2009 23:04

That safety pin tip is a good'un, thanks, roary!
I have not used an Amby with my previous 3 but am planning to with expected DS4.
I seem to remember that chat about an "upgrade" or something had been on the US site even before this information about these sad events became public knowledge.
I do not really see what has changed, and as others have said, where are the numbers for babies dying in moses baskets/cots?

AitchTwoToTangOh · 12/12/2009 11:02

i always thought that was the amazing thing about amby, that they'd sold so much product and had not one reported cot death. not any more, of course. (not sure if cot death is synonymous with suffocation though).

it's unimaginably awful for the parents, naturally, but i also do feel for ambrose thingybob, the inventor of the hammock. he'll feel it in a way that the 'inventor' of a moses basket cannot, not least because judging by the reaction on this thread it will destroy his business.

chocolaterabbit · 12/12/2009 14:12

Also interesting - US has also banned drop side cots as implicated in quite a few child deaths. Don't think they have been banned here or held specifically responsible for deaths...

I'm keeping DS in the Amby until he starts moving/ trying to roll but have got heavy DD to check it and it can't tilt so pretty relaxed again.

JimmyMcNulty · 12/12/2009 16:08

Cot death not the same as suffocation - SIDS is when the death is still unexplained after post-mortem. I wasn't aware Amby had no cot deaths - are you sure about that Aitch? Not sure how they could state that with any certainty.

AitchTwoToTangOh · 12/12/2009 18:42

they used to state it on their marketing stuff, i take it they don't now. along the lines of 'we've sold 30,000 and never a recorded cot death'.

Original poster
jellybeans · 13/12/2009 17:47

I was going to sell mine but not sure if to now as would feel guilty if it were to endanger a baby. I read some accounts ( not sure how accurate)that the suffocations were..one of them was balanced like a see saw (head not higher) which meant he slid backwards so his face was pressed against the sides. The other was due to a baby rolling to the side and not being able to roll back thus her face pressed into mattress. The questionable 3rd death was a baby with health issues. But the first two, if true, would be directly due to the amby rather than cot death. Whether there was user error is unclear without details.

I saw a video on youtube of the little boy who suffocated (someone posted it on amby on facebook) and it is so sad. I hope they release more info.

OP posts:
YanknChristmasCrackers · 14/12/2009 13:35

This has been posted on the amby.co.uk website.

I didn't realise the one had been using the Amby without the stand...not entirely sure why it is relevant that the baby was sleeping in the laundry room though

I have to say, as terrible as it is that there have been deaths, this statement from the creator of the amby is quite reassuring. Even so, I've transitioned DS (16 weeks) to the cot and he seems ok in it, so can't see putting him back in the Amby. Perhaps will put it away in case of a DC2 but watch the news with interest.

WelliesAndPyjamas · 14/12/2009 13:55

just saw this thread and also just visited the amby site to read the response to the sad deaths in the US. Personally I feel ok with the answer on there, bearing in mind my 9 month old has been in one since birth (although more likely to be co-sleeping of late when he wakes himself up unable to roll over anywhere). As it happens we're about to put up ds1's old cot to see if he'll get better sleep if he can move around but having seen the background to those sad cases I still would use the amby again if going for a dc3.

chocolaterabbit · 14/12/2009 14:10

Thanks Yank - it does seemto deal with the circumstances of those deaths very well. I guess laundry room is relevant because not in with parents and possibly some funny temperature things going on...I'm going to carry on using mineuntil DS can move.

PacificMistletoeandnoWine · 14/12/2009 14:18

Thanks for that link, Yank! I think a very reasoned response from Mr Hooi.

I bought my Amby second hand a couple of months ago (from a lovely MNer!) and still intend to use it.

jellybeans, I think you can still responsibly put your Amby up for sale. It is then up to people whether they want to buy it or not. It'll be interesting to see if their value on ebay goes down...

littleducks · 14/12/2009 14:21

I was thinking the laundry room info applied, as baby wasnt in parents bedroom/living room with parents and washing machine/dryer noise would make it difficult to use a baby monitor as well as hammock not on a stand

saintlydamemrsturnip · 14/12/2009 14:25

We used an amby with ds3 until he was 10 months. I would happily use one again - we moved ds3 when he started to try and roll over in it - iirc the inventor says that you should move your child into a cot then. But the amby site has changed a lot since we used it (much more commercial now) so that may have gone.

Original poster
jellybeans · 14/12/2009 16:19

That is reassuring. I do think there should be more warnings on them now though to show the importance of using it properly.

OP posts:
JimmyMcNulty · 14/12/2009 16:45

It is reassuring. Though I'm still a bit unsure how they can be certain there have been no cot deaths in Ambys. Do the official SIDS stats really include the brand of bed the baby is using?

One weird thing I noticed is that ds snored in his Amby quite a bit, but doesn't in the cot. Perhaps due to the fact that his head is at a slightly wider angle to his chest in the cot. Don't know if that matters or not.

AitchTwoToTangOh · 14/12/2009 20:40

i'm sure there will be changes to the instructions, i do think more detail is needed. it's easy enough to keep one end up, i should imagine, by attaching an elastic on a press stud from the top to the bottom.

i can imagine the laundry room thing is relevant, btw, if we use our tumble dryer the air gets a bit thick and steamy, iykwim? i wouldn't want a wee baby in there.