Little Bit of Green

Over 6000 cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) are reported each year, and more than 900 of these are due to babies’ soft baby bedding sets. So how can you be sure that any bedding bought for your baby will be safe?

Suffocation can occur with the use of soft baby bedding, particularly when baby is on her belly and her head depresses the mattress. You may think a soft mattress is more comfortable for your little one, but if it is too soft, it may not be safe. To avoid fatal accidents when the baby is sleeping, there should be someone always nearby to keep an eye on the position of the baby’s head. When the baby’s head is placed on the soft mattress, they may not have enough strength to come back in a good 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 the crib are another cause of suffocation. While attractive and cute, infants’ faces may be pressed against the soft pads, causing suffocations when baby is unable to free himself.

As a parent, it is necessary to take extra precautions during this weak and vulnerable period in a baby’s life. Parents need to make a choice between wanting cute and wanting what’s safest for the baby. If the parents should choose the latter, they should take out all the bumper pads from the crib and refrain from putting anything that might cause danger to their babies again.

According to some research, mattress contains some toxic gases which may be harmful to baby’s health. Chemical compounds such as phosphouous and arsenic are being added to mattresses. They are used as fire retardants but can be very dangerous. Poisonus gases can released when a chemical compound combined with certain reactants, during sleep when the baby breathes this it will leads to fatal problem.

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. Parents are thus urged not to use old nursery and crib bedding which has been used before, as it may contain fungus after a long period of time. Because infants only sleep in cribs for a short period of time, parents may be tempted to reuse old bedding. However, to avoid the existence of such fungus, this should not be the case. Old reused bedding will look less pretty than a new baby nursery bedding.

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 baby crib bedding sets available (one of my favorites is the Maya baby bedding set by Trend Lab), so there is no need to sacrifice style for safety.

Taking into account all these different things, moms and dads should be able to decide if the baby’s bedding is safe. If not, purchase a new, safe bedding option so that your baby can sleep safely and you can sleep without worries.

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