Slinging it safely with baby
Baby slings are a great way of transporting your baby hands-free and also filling our needs for physical and emotional closeness. That being said, you need to choose the style of sling carefully as some styles pose a danger for baby’s breathing.
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Baby slings are not a recent invention, with women in traditional societies using them since way back when. Traditionally, babies were transported in slings, not with emotional bonding foremost in mind, but because women needed to get on with their work and baby was thus attached to his mother, freeing up her hands.
The benefits of baby slings
Baby slings also provide a form of transport and for those of you have tried, it is easier to have a healthy 8-month old baby in a sling than in your arms for an outing on the bus. Pushchairs and prams are only possible with smooth footpaths, roadways and modern transport means. Out on the dusty roads of Africa, or the hilly tracts of South America, the sling is equivalent to the pushchair.
On the emotional side of things, slings are also useful for babies (and mums) with high emotional needs, or those babies who need some kind of movement to settle or get off to sleep. So instead of holding your baby in your arms and rocking her to sleep for her afternoon nap, you can pop her in her sling, sing her a little song and water the garden – all at the same time.
Safety criteria for baby slings
But not all baby slings are safe and there have been a number of product recalls and safety warnings issues, following the death of babies due to suffocation. You need to be particularly vigilant with babies less than 4 months as their neck muscles are not yet strong enough to control their heads. This means that the fabric of the sling could press against baby’s nose and mouth and thus block his breathing, and he won’t be able to move his head away from danger.
In addition, slings that keep your baby in a curled C-position (sort of a fetal position) also pose a risk as baby’s chin is pushed down to her chest, which can in turn restrict her airway, thus limiting the amount of oxygen she’s getting. In March 2010, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning related to the bag-style sling, in which baby is not held in the correct position and in which he may be dangerously enclosed by the sling’s fabric.
So let’s get to the facts of what type of baby sling you should be looking at to ensure your baby’s comfort and safety. In general you should choose a model that keeps your baby in an upright position, or a position where the baby’s face is open to the air, whether it be in a more solid structure or in a wrapped fabric version, and whether it be on your back, hip or chest.
Some sling safety guidelines
If you are using a baby sling, and there is no reason why you shouldn’t, then keep these important guidelines in mind:
- Ensure that your baby’s face is not covered, either by the sling’s fabric, or being pushed into your chest or back. This means keeping baby’s head turned to the side in upright slings, or facing upwards in sleep-position slings, making sure that you can always see her face;
- Ensure that your baby’s head and neck are well supported and that her chin doesn’t slump down to her chest;
- As a general rule, don’t feed a young baby while she’s in the sling. Take her out, feed her and then pop her back in. This is particularly important for newborns that may vomit up some of their milk, so you should wait for this to happen before putting baby back in the sling;
- If your baby is premature, has health problems or is low-weight, it is best to ask your doctor before using a baby sling to ensure that you use the one that is the very best for him.
For more information about the benefits of baby slings, the different styles of sling available, safety guidelines and a discussion forum with other mums, you can visit the non-for profit website, Babywearing International.
Copyright © 2010 Doctissimo
Posted 27.10.2010
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