When shopping for baby supplies for a new addition to your family, it’s easy to assume that the products available for purchase in stores are safe for your child. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Many widely sold baby products and equipment have been associated with infant injuries and death, including everyday items like cribs, walkers, sling carriers, and changing tables.
Now, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is issuing an essential warning to parents and caregivers regarding all nursing pillows and nursing pad products on the market. Nursing pillows and lounging pads are both products designed for babies to use while awake and supervised by their caregivers.
While nursing pillows aim to make breastfeeding easier for mothers, lounging pads are made for babies to sit or lie on. Tragically, using these products for sleep can result in suffocation in several different ways. According to the warning, these products have resulted in 28 infant deaths when the baby was left on or near the pillow and rolled off, rolled over or fell asleep.
An ongoing investigation
Experts recommend that babies sleep alone on a firm, flat surface to keep them safe while they sleep. They also shouldn’t have any bedding where they sleep to avoid anything blocking their airways. Though many of these products claim to warn against leaving infants unattended with the products or using them for sleep, in many cases, the warning was not sufficient enough to prevent parents from using the products for these purposes.
In their ongoing investigation, the CPSC has not yet named any specific brands for nursing pillows or lounging pads that could potentially face a product recall. For the time being, the agency is warning caregivers about the entire class of these products to reduce injuries and death.
If you own any brand of nursing pillows or lounging pads, remember that neither of these products is meant for infant sleep. Until the CPSC concludes their investigation, understanding these products’ risks can help keep your child safe.
