Surely most people have now heard on the news or read in the paper the latest buzz about how baby slings are supposedly unsafe and linked to some infant deaths. My first thought was, "Oh great, now I will never hear the end of it from people who don't know what they are talking about and believe everything they hear in the media." But I decided to listen anyway. Just as I thought, there is more to the story than meets the eye! Despite the anchor on my local news channel reiterating that "this warning is for ALL baby slings, not one particular brand", this warning really is for ONE type of sling. ONE. This type of sling is called a "bag sling", is quite padded, has deep pockets and lots of fabric, and carries the baby rather low and loose. Just looking at this sling (a popular brand is the Infantino Slingrider), you can see the potential for danger.
Now, of course, any sling--or any baby product of any kind, for that matter--could potentially pose some risk to some person in some way. That's kind of the nature of life. No product can replace the need for a parent to be paying close attention to his or her child, especially a tiny baby. And people who use slings or other soft carriers really do need to read the instructions carefully and make sure they know how to use them. I'm amazed how many moms I've seen around town wearing babies the wrong way--in particular wearing the sling too loosely and too low, with their babies practically falling out onto the floor.
Here are a few links to some really great articles addressing this issue as it has come up in the past few days. The links include detailed information for wearing a baby safely:
http://www.undercovermother.net/2010/03/babywearing-real-deal-on-safety.html
http://www.facebook.com/BabywearingSafety
http://www.sleepingbaby.net/safety.php
This whole thing kind of reminds me of the whole family bed controversy: Because issues have developed in certain very specific situations, all of a sudden our drama-crazed society, with it's penchant for proclaiming anything and everything a huge risk, has jumped on a bandwagon they know very little about and grossly overstated the problem. So before you give into the temptation to do the same thing, please read up on this! Let's not do away with a 1000's of years' old custom that has the potential to provide untold benefits to babies and their parents.
Now, of course, any sling--or any baby product of any kind, for that matter--could potentially pose some risk to some person in some way. That's kind of the nature of life. No product can replace the need for a parent to be paying close attention to his or her child, especially a tiny baby. And people who use slings or other soft carriers really do need to read the instructions carefully and make sure they know how to use them. I'm amazed how many moms I've seen around town wearing babies the wrong way--in particular wearing the sling too loosely and too low, with their babies practically falling out onto the floor.
Here are a few links to some really great articles addressing this issue as it has come up in the past few days. The links include detailed information for wearing a baby safely:
http://www.undercovermother.net/2010/03/babywearing-real-deal-on-safety.html
http://www.facebook.com/BabywearingSafety
http://www.sleepingbaby.net/safety.php
This whole thing kind of reminds me of the whole family bed controversy: Because issues have developed in certain very specific situations, all of a sudden our drama-crazed society, with it's penchant for proclaiming anything and everything a huge risk, has jumped on a bandwagon they know very little about and grossly overstated the problem. So before you give into the temptation to do the same thing, please read up on this! Let's not do away with a 1000's of years' old custom that has the potential to provide untold benefits to babies and their parents.
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