Is Your Infant Bedding Harmful?
It’s hard to imagine but according to studies 6000 babies die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome every year while 900 of these deaths are actually caused by soft baby bedding sets. Which brings up the question of safety for your infants mattress.
For infants soft baby nursery bedding may cause suffocation when head sinks into soft mattress during baby placed in her belly. You may think a soft mattress is more comfortable for your little one, but if it is too soft, it may not be safe. Infants are not physically able to roll over and “save” themselves from the dangerous position on a soft mattress. They are not yet strong enough, and this can be fatal if no one is around to watch the baby.
Parents should make it a priority to test a baby’s bedding by applying some weight to it. If it depresses under medium pressure, pass on it as it could lead to an accident. A simple test can be performed by pressing one hand against the surface to assess the resistance of the mattress. The higher the resistance rating of your mattress is, the higher the quality.
Bumper pads are often added to a crib to give it a designer look; but a baby can suffocate if he becomes stuck with his face pressed into one.
The parent should take more precaution and care to the infant because infant may be weak and vulnurable during this period. 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.
In addition, recent research has revealed that there are toxic gases in mattresses that can be detrimental to your baby’s development. Chemical compounds such as phosphouous and arsenic are being added to mattresses. They are used as fire retardants but can be very dangerous. These chemicals can react with others and release poisonous gases; if an infant breathes too much of these, he can die while sleeping in his crib.
Scientists have since found, however, that a frequently occurring fungus in baby bedding may be one of the reactants which is an aid in releasing these toxic fumes. Do note use nursery bedding which may contain fungus. This may happen if the bedding has been used for a long time. Babies crib bedding should not be reused from one baby to another because old bedding can carry fungus. Buying a new set of nursery bedding adds a fresh look to the baby’s room.
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 bedding sets available (one of my favorites is the Trend Lab’s Maya nursery bedding), so there is no need to sacrifice style for safety.
Use this criteria to determine if your baby bedding is safe. All the parents can sleep nicely in the night without any worries when they choose a safe bedding for their babies, if they did this their babies sound and a safe sleep.