PRODUCT WARNING: INFANT SLING CARRIERS MAY INJURE SMALL BABIES

From: New York attorney Gary E. Rosenberg (personal injury and accident attorney and lawyer; serving Brooklyn Queens Bronx; Brooklyn accident lawyer)

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) advises parents and caregivers of babies younger than four months-old that there is danger of accidental suffocation to the child when carried in a sling-style infant carrier.

CPSC is investigating back twenty years, and has found fourteen deaths associated with sling-style infant carriers, including three that occurred in 2009. Babies younger than four months of age were the victims in twelve of these deaths.

Accidental suffocation can occur in slings by two different mechanisms.

FIRST: Very young babies have no control over their heads due to weak neck muscles. The fabric of the sling can cover the infant's mouth and nose, rapidly suffocating a baby.

SECOND: Where an infant is kept curled up with his or her chin bent towards the chest, the child's airway can be restricted, limiting oxygen supply. The baby would be unable to cry and could slowly suffocate.

Many of the babies who have died in slings either (1) registered a low birth weight, (2) were born prematurely, or, (3) had breathing difficulties, such as from a cold or flu.

Parents of preemies, twins, babies in fragile health and those with low weight are reminded to use extra care, and consult their pediatricians about using slings.

CPSC recommends that parents and caregivers make sure the infant's face is not covered and is visible at all times to the sling's wearer. If nursing a baby in a sling, mothers should change the baby's position after feeding so the baby's head is facing up and is clear of the sling and the mother's body. Parents and caregivers should keep checking their baby if carried in a sling.