Beware Of The Baby Pillow
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by: frankwarehouse
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Word Count: 400
Many baby pillows with various types of design and decoration are available at stores and craft shows. These lovely creations are tempting for new parents or someone shopping for a unique baby gift to purchase. Before doing so, the safety of a baby pillow should be considered. Before anyone decides to use a baby pillow in the crib with a small baby, there is some frightening information that should be known.
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is the leading cause of death in the United States for infants one month to one year of age. In the early 90s, based on reports out of Europe and Australia, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a recommendation that babies not be placed on their tummies for sleep. In 1994, the Back To Sleep campaign was initiated as a joint effort by several national agencies and consumer groups. Several studies were performed to evaluate the effect of the Back To Sleep program on the incidence of SIDS. These studies showed the rate of SIDS decreased by 50%, but other related factors were also discovered. A task force formed by the AAP issued a new statement in 2005 to include recommendations on all the new findings. Primarily, the non prone position was changed to a recommendation of a back only position. The statement also recommended that the only items to put in the crib with the baby should be a firm mattress and fitted sheet. If a bumper pad is used it must not be a loose, fluffy type. No baby pillow or toys or other objects should be included. To address the findings of increased flat head sydrome, the AAP recommended other preventive measures. Positioning other than on the back or use of a baby pillow were not deemed worth the risk of SIDS by the AAP.
There is a baby pillow on the market, called Baby Sleep Positioner, which includes the recommendations for SIDS prevention in its advertising. Made of foam, the purpose of this baby pillow is to support the head while keeping the baby positioned on the back. The statement released by the AAP is clear that it does not endorse any specific commercial products. If parents are considering the use of the foam baby pillow sleep positioner, checking with their Pediatrician first is probably the safest approach.
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