By: Ashley Smith
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) claims the lives of over 6000 babies yearly, with more than 900 of these deaths caused by soft baby bedding. So how can you be sure that any bedding bought for your baby will be safe?
When you place the baby on her belly, her head may sink into the mattress and cause suffocation if the bedding is too soft. Plush mattresses provide maximum comfort for babies but are a safety threat as well. Fatal accidents may occur when a baby's head is placed on a soft mattress. Infants are often too week to roll over if they get into a dangerous position.
To avoid accidents and fatalities, it is best to choose crib bedding and mattresses which are firm and not easily depressed under weight, even the light weight of a baby. The strenght of the mattress can be assessed by pressing one hand against the mattress with the resisting force. This is a simple way to assess a mattress. A mattress with the strongest resistance is is best.
Bumper pads in baby cribs pose a threat of suffocation. There is no doubt that the colors and designs are attractive but many recommend removing them from the crib as an infant who falls asleep with their tiny mouth up against the padding will have their movement and breathing restricted and can potentially suffocate.
As a parent, it is necessary to take extra precautions during this weak and vulnerable period in a baby's life. When babies are pressed between the bumper pads and another object and some of the people recommend to buy firmer bumper pads while others just remove all of them from the crib and the latter being the best method because, though rare, there are also cases of strangulation by the strings of the bumper pads and suffocation.
Research has shown that toxic gases, harmful to baby, are found in mattresses. Dangerous chemicals have been found to be added to mattresses as fire retardants, but they are dangerous chemical compounds containing phosphorus and arsenic. These chemicals can react with others and release poisonous gases; if an infant breathes too much of these, he can die while sleeping in his crib.
It's ironic but the fungus sometimes found in a baby's bedding, that we thought is harmful, is actually the one helping to release poisonous gases according to some findings. Consequently, they compel parents to purchase new bedding since old bedding is more likely to contain this fungus. To insure that no fungus is present, parents should be sure to buy new bedding for each new infant. Buying a new set of nursery bedding adds a fresh look to the baby's room.
Taking into account all these different things, moms and dads should be able to decide if the baby's bedding is safe. One should immediately get a safe mattress bedding, so as to sleep without tension for the baby whole night. Also , the baby can sleep well.
Article Source : http://www.parentingarticlelibrary.com
In addition, there is some concern about synthetic fabric in baby bedding sets. While there is no solid proof that synthetic fabrics are harmful to a baby, you may want to stick to natural fibers. There are plenty of stylish cotton crib bedding sets available (one of my favorites is the Trend Lab's Maya crib bedding ), so there is no need to sacrifice style for safety.
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