Recently the US babywearing world was rocked by the news that a small number of babies had allegedly asphyxiated in a number of “Infantino” slings. This caused an outpouring of sympathy for the families and a media interest in the world of babywearing and the use of slings. Over night, Babywearing Safety sites popped up on Facebook and many blogs focused on the issues observed by this particular sling.
Babes in Arms is a proud distributor of award-winning baby slings and carriers including the ERGObaby Carrier, the PeanutShell pouch sling and the new Breeze Baby Ring Sling.
While the design of the slings and carrier that we distribute differs from the ‘Infantino’ in question, we nevertheless recognize that ALL babies in ANY sling or carrier need to be placed correctly and safely. We include the following warning in our sling instruction manuals that is relevant to ALL babies in any type of sling:
WARNING: Positional asphyxia (suffocation) can occur in young babies – this can happen when a baby’s chin is pressed against his chest, restricting airflow. Ensure that there is sufficient air flow around your baby’s head and face to prevent suffocation especially when sleeping.
The Infantino Sling design varies significantly from both the Peanut Shell and Breeze Baby slings. The particular style of the Infantino Sling is often referred to as a “bag sling” or “bag-style” sling. The pouch is quite deep and the baby slips inside this deep pocket and is often hidden from the parent’s sight. There is no feature to keep the baby’s body in good alignment, so the baby usually ends up in what is termed the “chin-to-chest” position. The chin to chest position prevents the infant from breathing effectively, and can lead quite quickly to positional asphyxia. This is the position that ALL of our warnings advise against. The Infantino Sling also has elasticised gatherings at the opening, which can prevent sufficient flow of oxygen into the carrier.
For more information and tips on safe babywearing, please refer to the instructional videos and/.or manuals for each specific sling/ carrier that you use or hope to use.
