# anyone have information about slings and SIDS?



## riversong (Aug 11, 2005)

Let me start out by saying that I'm a babywearing mom and loved carrying my dd in a sling and now the Ergo.

Recently a baby in our AP community died of SIDS while in a sling worn by her mother. A friend told me that the mom has come to believe that the sling may have contributed to her dying. The mom was wearing a borrowed fleece sling and had it on backwards because she didn't know how it was supposed to be worn. The baby was tightly squeezed into the sling and I'm assuming her face was covered by the fleece fabric. It wasn't a case of her suffocating, but the mom thinks the SIDS could've been caused by her re-breathing her own carbon dioxide like tummy sleeping babies sometimes do when their faces are pressed into the bed.

We are all still reeling from the baby's death and I'm feeling like I need to understand this better. If anybody knows anything about this type of incident, please share. Thank you!


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## SlingMomEsq (Mar 1, 2005)

First, I am so sorry for your friend. I just can't imagine it. What a tragedy. My heart goes out to her.

Second, SIDS is a worldwide tragedy, especially prevalent in the US. Some of the best Doctors in the world are working daily to explain it. They don't have the answers or even really know why it happens. Why then would we be able to surely assess a cause in this one case? (i.e. from a sling?)

In fact, I feel confident in saying that the vast majority of SIDS cases in the US do NOT occur in slings (as carriers are not really that popular here) so it seems unreasonable to me to conclude that a sling caused the death! Further, you must look at SIDS rates in cultures where babyweairng is the norm. Is it common for a child to die in mother's arms, back etc. in a carrier? If it is, I sure have not heard of it!

Lastly, I think it is always imperative to check your baby in a carrier (or any place else for that matter) for obstructions around the face/airway etc. frequently. When I had a preemie, the preemie car seat tech at the hospital told me to exercise care with tiny newborns so they were not left in a position where their chin touched their chest, etc (so as to constrict airway)....so I think this would be a reasonable safety precaution with a sling.

I guess I feel like I can personally BETTER monitor air and breathing for my infant when he is on my body than elsewhere!

Re: Fleece&#8230;..If it was a poly blend, I am not a big fan of poly material in a sling, but for other reasons (I have kiddoes that are little sweat balls and have sensitive skin for instance) but I know people who also like and use this fabric.

Again, I am so sorry. HUGE hugs!


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## bethwl (May 10, 2003)

I agree that is a horrible tragedy. And in a sense, yes, the sling contributed to the infant's death. But moreso that the sling, as a product, it was the inexperienced use of the sling. With proper positioning, the baby would not have probably been squished in there is such a way that she was rebreathing her own air. And this would be awful to think of as a mom, because in a way it blames the mom. But more than saying that a sling is a dangerous device or that the mom was irresponsible, it says to me that this is a horribly sad instance of something awful coming to pass. Infants dies of SIDS in cribs, cribs are not inherently unsafe. Same for slings, IMO. But that's cold comfort for this mom, of course. My heart goes out to her.


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## SlingMomEsq (Mar 1, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bethwl*
But moreso that the sling, as a product, it was the inexperienced use of the sling. With proper positioning, the baby would not have probably been squished in there is such a way that she was rebreathing her own air. And this would be awful to think of as a mom, because in a way it blames the mom.

I strongly disagree with this.

We just don't have enough information to say that this was essentially "user error." The baby may very well have had breathing problems (whether detectable or not) or another underlying predisposition to SIDS.

The truth is, we just don't know. That baby may have died in arms, in a crib, in a car seat or wherever. It may not have been anything that the mother could have helped.

Again I say that if an army of top researchers are still confounded about the causes of SIDS in general (much less one case in particular) I doubt we are gonna be smarter than their collective efforts in hindsight.

I do not think it is logical to blame it on the sling, user error, or anything else at this point. (Especially with no autopsy info!)

With that said, however, we CAN try to make our babies' environments as optimally safe as we can in any situation (and as far as our collective knowledge allows.....whether that be putting them on their back to sleep, checking airways in slings, etc) which is why I gave some safety tips above. It was IN NO WAY intended to indict this poor mother for using her sling "incorrectly."


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## birthjunkie27 (Jul 6, 2005)

My heart goes out to this poor mama who lost her babe.

And it scares the crap out of me! I wear my 5 wk old upright, facing me in a fleece pouch (she hates the cradle carry). And she always has her head turned so that her face is towards the fabric, not away. I try to turn her head myself, but she'll turn right back. I check her all the time to make sure she's breathing and I hold the fabric away from her face most of the time.

How scary to think that this babe's death *could* have possibly been from sling misuse. I'm no expert, and I don't even know if I'm using my pouch the right way.


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## IncaMama (Jun 23, 2004)

oh, my heart breaks for this poor woman and her baby. the only positive i can possibly find in this situation is that her sweet babe died in her arms, the most wonderful and peaceful place to be. please let her know that she is in my prayers.


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## bethwl (May 10, 2003)

You're right, Gretchen. It is really impossible to know. I guess I was just thinking that from the description the op gave of the baby being in there very tightly and the mother's feeling that the fabric was too close in to the baby's face. My point in response to that was just that this is not the way a baby should be in a sling, so if a baby is that way, it's not that slings are bad but that the baby may be improperly positioned.

And, I would further say that even if there was a degree of user error involved that does not mean that this caused the baby's death. I'm sure people often incorrectly use slings in many ways (perhaps even in the way described in this incident) and it does not lead to injury or death.
edited further to state unequivocally that I am not blaming the mom here and feel nothing but sympathy for her.


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## SlingMomEsq (Mar 1, 2005)

No worries, Beth.

Just wanted to make the point that SIDS is a very complicated thing and we really don't know much about it unfortunately.

I am sure most of you reading this must have been to this site, but I think it is good to review their info every once in a while...things do change on it:

www.sids.org

And their excellent "reducing the risk" page:

http://www.sids.org/nprevent.htm


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## christinelin (Aug 13, 2003)

Riversong, I am guessing we live near you. I know people who know this family. It is truly a tragedy.

I spoke with a friend who I really respect and she reminded me that James McKenna, who studies SIDS and cosleeping ay Notre Dame, says that some babies simply can't self regulate -- even with the protection of being with mom. That can explain some of the deaths of cosleeping babies when all the safety precautions are followed. Some babies even die of SIDS in someone's arms.

I think we all want there to be some explanation. If it's just the sling being used wrong, that means we can do it "right" and protect our own children. The fact is that we can't always. Even when we do everything right -- love our babies, hold them close -- they can still be lost.

I guess what I am saying is that I wouldn't assume the sling was even a contributing factor. I hope this mom can find peace. She will be in my prayers.


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## KoalaMommy (Apr 7, 2004)

could other factors be involved? was this baby exclusively breastfed? Had the baby recently had any vaxes? Did anyone in the immediate family smoke? Some studies out of Florida indicate that a very likely cause of a high number of sids cases is actually overheating, particularly overheating the belly (which is why babies who sleep on their stomachs are at higher risk). The reason is an enzyme that reaches toxic levels with high heat but that breaks down too quickly to recognize as the cause of death in most situations. Could the baby have been too warm in a fleece sling pressed tightly against the mother's body with winter clothes on?

Without knowing all of these things, it would be really hard to say that the sling was the cause of the baby's death. How frightening though!


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## bethwl (May 10, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *christinelin*

I think we all want there to be some explanation. If it's just the sling being used wrong, that means we can do it "right" and protect our own children. The fact is that we can't always. Even when we do everything right -- love our babies, hold them close -- they can still be lost.

I agree with this. I think that is where my initial thoughts were coming from, i.e. just make sure you use your sling right and this will never happen to you. But the truth is that it might happen to you, whether it in a sling or a crib or a car seat, or even in our arms. That's so frightening that it is much easier to point to something and say "fix that and we're safe."


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## riversong (Aug 11, 2005)

Thanks so much for your thoughtful replies. I know that there is never a definitive answer to why a baby dies of SIDS. I think it's true that we want to know what went wrong when something like this happens so that we can feel like we can prevent it in our own children.

This baby's mother is wonderful. She is caring, protective, intelligent and responsive to her children's needs. The family does not smoke. Unfortunately, all that was not enough to keep her baby here with us. This tragedy has made me too aware of the mortality of all children and it is a very hard thing to think about.

I know I had my own dd improperly positioned in the sling when she was small and I was learning how to do it. She often sounded like her breathing was difficult because of having her head curled to her chest. I figured she was ok because she would fall asleep and not complain about it. With the next dc, I will be more careful about this. I also was constantly holding the fabric away from her face to make sure she got enough air. I think I might need to get together with a really experienced sling-wearer and get some tips for positioning a newborn.

Thanks again for your responses.


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