RSS FeedBeware Of The Baby Pillow
Many baby pillows with various types of design and decoration are available at stores and craft shows. Parents, or their family or friends, may be tempted to buy a baby pillow as a personalized gift for a new baby. But is a baby pillow safe for your baby? Before anyone decides to use a baby pillow in the crib with a small baby, there is some frightening information that should be known.
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is the leading cause of death in the United States for infants one month to one year of age. In 1992 the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended that babies be placed in a non prone position to sleep, as a result of findings in other countries. In 1994, the Back To Sleep campaign was initiated as a joint effort by several national agencies and consumer groups. Several studies were performed to evaluate the effect of the Back To Sleep program on the incidence of SIDS. While the incidence of SIDS related deaths had decreased by half, other findings were also identified by the studies. A task force formed by the AAP issued a new statement in 2005 to include recommendations on all the new findings. Primarily, the non prone position was changed to a recommendation of a back only position. Included in the recommendations was a clearly defined list of items to place in the crib: a firm mattress, a fitted sheet, and the baby. A bumper pad, if used, must be firm and snugly fitted. There should be no baby pillow, stuffed toys, etc. in the crib with the infant. To address the findings of increased flat head sydrome, the AAP recommended other preventive measures. Positioning other than on the back or use of a baby pillow were not deemed worth the risk of SIDS by the AAP.
There is a baby pillow on the market, called Baby Sleep Positioner, which includes the recommendations for SIDS prevention in its advertising. Made of foam, the purpose of this baby pillow is to support the head while keeping the baby positioned on the back. The statement released by the AAP is clear that it does not endorse any specific commercial products. If parents are considering the use of the foam baby pillow sleep positioner, checking with their Pediatrician first is probably the safest approach.