Just because baby items are sold in stores, doesn’t mean that everything you can buy is safe, which is so important to keep in mind when shopping for baby.
One item in particular you will find in every baby equipment shop, and they are a popular gift for expectant parents. But an Irish doctor has revealed why they are actually unsafe.
Cork-based paediatric consultant and mum Dr Niamh Lynch has explained why you should avoid using baby nests as they are not ‘sleep safe’.
Dr Lynch took to her Instagram page to explain to her followers why nests such as the Cocoonababy and Docatot are unsafe environments for your baby to sleep in.
Mimic the womb
Using the Cocoonababy as a case study, as it is one of the most popular nests she is asked about, Dr Lynch said that they are cited to ‘mimic the womb’ which is a phrase that ‘is like a red rag to a bull’ for her.
She simply says that this annoys her because ‘babies in the womb don’t need to breathe, they’re getting all of their blood supply and all of their oxygen from the umbilical cord and very often their necks are tucked down which can cause positional asphyxiation out in the real world.’
Marketing of sleep nests
Dr Lynch argues that the marketing of these nests is clever and ‘deceptive’ and takes the Cocoonababy as an example again. She writes alongside her video: ‘Features: Improve the quality and the length of the child’s sleep. Reduce the involuntary jerky movements which wake baby with a start and make him cry (startle or Moro reflex).’
‘But in the next paragraph – Safety notice: Safe sleep guidelines recommend the safest sleep environment for a baby is on a flat surface with no accessories. Loungers, nests and pods should be used in a supervised setting for rest and lounging. Always follow manufacturers product safety guidelines’.
‘They only mention “rest” and “lounging”. Not sleep.’
Supervised sleep
She goes on to talk about ‘supervised sleep’ and says that it ‘only takes seconds for a baby to come to harm from positional asphyxia/rebreathing/overheating’ and that ‘no parent or caregiver is going to sit staring unblinkingly at a sleeping baby every single time they sleep’.
In a separate post, Dr Lynch gave a list of the baby items that are not considered safe by the CCPC (Ireland) or the CSPC (USA).
These include:
- Dockatot
- Any other ‘sleep’ pod (including Sleepyhead, PURFLO and Clevamamma)
- Cocoonababy
- Swing2sleep
- Cot bumpers
- Cot wraps
- Cot mesh
- Pillows (until 18-24 months)
- Duvets
Safe sleep
So what is the safest way for a baby to sleep? Well, babies should sleep in an empty cot, foot to the bottom with no pillows or cuddly toys. According to Dr Lynch: ‘Sleep sacks are good, as long as they meet safety standards. Cellular blankets are also good and a fitted sheet.’
‘No cuddly toys in the sleep space,’ she adds.
