All expecting moms

I just wanted to tell all you guys who are expecting. Our local radio station has been making announcements about baby pouches and wraps. It says alot of babies have been suffocating in them because they are too small to lift or turn their heads and they get smothered. This shocks me because I had one. I hardly ever used it but now I'm glad I didn't!!

 

See, this is misinformation on their part. It's a very specific type of sling (bag or duffle slings) that cause these problems and can lead to suffocation. Ring slings, wraps and regular pouches are very safe when they are used correctly. The problem with the bag slings is that they are SO huge and hang so low that baby isn't upright and thefabric pushes the chin to his chest causing the airway to get stopped up. And there's so much fabric that it can suffocate baby.

Here's a link about exactly what a bag sling is:
http://www.nurturebabynaturally.com/2010/03/what-is-bag-sling.html

And an article on BWing safety:
http://babywearinginternational.org/pages/safety.php

And another article:
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/unsafe-baby-slings/

Again, it's only the bag slings that are unsafe and it makes me very sad to hear that the media is telling people that all slings wraps and pouches are not safe. There are SO many wonderful ways to carry your babies - just use common sense (and when in doubt a tummy to tummy carry is awesome!) If the carrier seems too big, don't use it! I had a bag sling with DS and the thing was SO huge that we never used it. It just didn't seem safe - and it's not. They are dangerous and I can't believe they haven't been recalled yet.

 

This article from consumer reports says nothing about a specific type of sling...It just says slings in general http://blogs.consumerreports.org/baby/

 

Be cautious when using infant slings for babies younger than four months of age." It also urged parents of preemies, twins, babies in fragile health and those of low weights to use extra care and consult their pediatricians about using slings....

My sling was not a ring type but it did make my babies lay in a curled up position. It seems to me it all depends how they lay in it. Any type of sling that they are laying in with the fabric covering their faces or chin to chest can cause them to suffocate. Not just a certain type of sling but the position of the baby..... It makes sense

 

Yes, this.
I think you should be wary of anythng you put a baby in (slings or even car seats etc)that causes your baby to curl up in the letter "c" has the potential to be unsafe. My moby wrap had the same warning so I avoided any hold in which my little guy looked like the letter "c" but I think the bag style slings are probably the worst bc that's really the only position the baby can go in one.

 

I do see in that article where they listed a certain type of sling (Infantino SlingRider) it mentioned that it caused two deaths. But you are right that anytime the baby lies in a c position they are vulnerable.

 

Yes, definitely anything that puts the baby in a "c" position is dangerous (and should be pretty obvious since the carrier would be huge on mom). I don't know how many articles and news segments have shown babies in a Moby when that carrier isn't even close to what they are warning about. Here's a link over to TBW (thebabywearer). Moms there have been talking about this type of carrier being dangerous since 2006 - this specific post is in 2008. http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=205359 I just want to make sure that people don't jump to conclusions about BWing in general just because this one type of sling is dangerous. It's like the media saying all cars are dangerous because Toyotas have had problems that have caused deaths.

 

EXACTLY!

i've used ring slings, pouch slings, wraps, and meitais on my chidren and the pediatrician and my OB recommend them. It's just bag slings that are not safe.