Safety warning about baby slings - is it me or is that a bit OTT?

[emkana]

14 deaths in 20 years - yes years

14 dead babies

How is it felt the babies died?

suffocating I think

It's a bit like the co-sleeping thing - I bet there's no advice out there to be cautious about using a pram, even though I'm sure there have been pram-related deaths over the years.

Is this to do with so-called bag-style slings? These are the ones where the baby is tucked deep into the sling, enclosed, and the sling is hanging quite low down on the mother's body - at hip level. There are a few slings of that type available commercially.

This is a rather different senario to one where the sling is used to mimic the way a baby would be held in its mother's arms. In that situation the sling tends to hold the baby much more closely to the mother's body and the baby's face isn't obscured by the fabric so it can breathe easily, and with the baby's head much higher so the mother is aware of the child's breathing.

Obviously it's worth warning people about the risks but pity they didn't make it clearer that the risk pertains to a particular sort of sling.

It's about bag slings which are inherantly dangerous. They force a baby into the 'c' shape which constricts their breathing. I can't believe they're still sold and even available on the high st now.
Avoid, babasling, premaxx, adventure sling etc and buy a proper sling like a hotslings,coorie, peanut shell, if you want a pouch sling.

Yes, it's about bag slings which are horribly dangerous. The report shoudl be clearer IMO but it's still a valid warning, they shoudl all be taken off the market.

Good article here

I don´t think it´s OTT.
14deaths is obviously 14 too many-especially if preventable.

I bought a babasling and tried it unsuccessfully a few times. While he was tiny it seemed to hold him in a very unnatural position which felt dangerous. When he got a little bigger and was able to move his head around it seemed to me that I was more able to use the sling safely, although to be on the safe side I did tend to place one arm under his body as additional support.

I didn't use it very much and I'd be interested to know if anyone had any success with the babasling.

I think this is completely OTT, however if it does prevent a baby dying then good. It would be such a shame if the sling=bad message wasn't qualified properly and people weren't aware of all the wonderful ways of carrying their children.

No I hated the babasling.

I do wonder if they hold stats anywhere on babies dying in prams/carseats too. Just comparatively.

Very, very sadly dh (a pc) was called out to a local shopping centre recently where a woman had realised her 8wk old baby had stopped breathing in its pram. The cause of death was SIDS. I don't know how that is recorded statistically.

Of course there is also the difference between suffocation and SIDS. I can't access the article you have linked to but have read others in the national press and there isn't a clear explanation of cause of death reported.

And as already mentioned, there is a world of difference between safe and unsafe babywearing just as there are safe and unsafe ways of every part of caring for a baby.

It is definitely related to the type of sling, not all slings are as ridiculous and dangerously designed as these ones. (The "bag" slings - not to be confused with pouch slings)

Lots of info here - this site has been up nearly 2 years now, it's not like the manufacturers haven't been made aware of the dangers. Utterly, utterly preventable, those poor families

Also, I don't know whether this is relevant but I go on quite a few US based babywearing messgeboards and usually upright slings like wraps, mei tais etc aren't referred to as "slings" but by name, and "slings" refers to a carrier which holds the baby in a cradle position like a ring sling, pouch or bag sling such as these.

Llareggub I had similar experience with a babasling - definitely one of my worst baby buys. That said I would ave been lost without a sling and would still recommend a sling properly used to any new parents.

The article should state the slings in question

3 deaths in 2009 is a more interesting and shocking statistic. As is the Mothercare comment that their sales of slings has increased 100%.

I can understand the practicality of using a sling but never used one myself precisely because I was worried about the risk of suffocation (and knew nothing about these cases).

Well Mothercare have only recently begun to sell these kinds of slings so of course their sales have increased 100% what a weird comment from them.

Most slings are safe when used correctly and pose no suffocation risk.

It seems that the word sling is being demonised by the press. The fact is it's baby-bags that are the offending item here not slings. I and many of my friends have used slings and love them. It's a shame that parents are potentially being out off now because when used responsibly they are a great help.
I've used the Babasling with my children and have never had a cause to complain.

Resurrecting this thread after a very near miss with my 11week old son yesterday.

I was using a stretchy wrap jersey sling and we think he turned his head so that it went under my breast or was curled up too much in a 'c' shape ( he was in this hold) and noticed he was very still. I lifted his head out and found he was purple/black/grey with no breathing and no pulse. My sister managed to get 2 breaths from him with CPR but he didn't really restart breathing. Thank God we were at a 4th of July airshow and a GI took over and performed CPR until he started to breathe on his own again.

We were discharged this afternoon and he is absolutely fine, but the nursing staff at the hospital said they don't recommend slings until much older for this reason. When my husband told his colleagues what had happened, 2 of them knew friends who had lost babies in this circumstance. It would appear to be more common than we realised (obviously or we wouldn't have used it...). I carried my first 2 children in the sling regularly with no concerns - I'm still in shock that this happened. If you want to continue to use a jersey sling in this hold please,, please, please be vigilant about your baby's position. I know it sounds obvious but I can't believe what just happened.

God how terrifying that must have been for you. I'm so glad your baby is ok.

Thanks Cats. I can't believe how rapidly he has recovered.

hugs what a scary thing to happen! Slings are fantastic, but that hold your baby was in, is generally only recommended if you're breastfeeding as soon as you are done it's recommended that you put them back into an upright position, because of the risk of suffocation. Stretchy wraps are great but as someone who does sling demo's and co-runs a sling library I never recommend using the cradle hold as a matter of course, only ever for breastfeeding with. If you or anyone else has any questions feel free to ask, and if I don't know the answer I'll google :) so glad your little one is okay xx

That must of been awful for you. So glad he is ok now When I used a sling I would have them in the upright position. I did have a ring sling and their was a cradle hold position but it was really uncomfortable, putting off your centre of balance and made me feel I couldn't interact with the baby. Coupled with a sttretchy wrap and chunky kids it put me off slings until I found a great wilkinet and mei tai.

Just wondering can you still buy them bag type slings?