Safety And Use Of A Baby Pillow
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by: frankwarehouse
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Many baby pillows with various types of design and decoration are available at stores and craft shows. Parents, or their family or friends, may be tempted to buy a baby pillow as a personalized gift for a new baby. 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. As a result of the recommendation from the AAP, the Back To Sleep initiative was started in 1994 through the leadership of several national agencies. 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. Foremost, babies must be laid to sleep on the back only, not on the side. Included in the recommendations was a clearly defined list of items to place in the crib: a firm mattress, a fitted sheet, and the baby. 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.
The baby pillow, Baby Sleep Positioner is marketed with acknowledgments of the recommendations made by the AAP. The baby pillow sleep positioner is made of memory foam and keeps the infant in the recommended position, while cushioning the back of the head. 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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