Parents are being warned about the dangers of using weighted blankets and sleep sacks for babies and young children this winter.
Weighted blankets are marketed as a sleep aid that can help adults get a good night’s rest but at least two children overseas have died using models made for adults.
Red Nose Australia chief executive Keren Ludski said these two deaths highlighted what could happen if a baby or child could not remove the blanket when needed.
“When you put a weighted blanket for an adult anywhere near a baby or a child the risk of something really awful happening is significantly really high,” she said.
“That was incredibly alarming to think about a weight being put down on the chest of a baby that could in any way impede their ability to breathe.”
New mum Stephanie Ciccarella said with parents given so much advice, it could be hard to distinguish what was safe and not when it came to sleep.
She said she had been given many tips and tricks to help her settle three-month-old daughter Francesca.
“I am bombarded on social media, so on Instagram and Facebook with regards to different sleep techniques,” she said.
Weighted baby “sleep sacks” are also available to buy online for infants.
Sleep sacks, often with a weight positioned on the baby’s chest, can compress the lungs, leading to a lack of oxygen.
They may also cause overheating, a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome.
Sleep-safe advice, like the information on weighted blankets, is possible thanks to funds raised through Red Nose Day which is coming up on Friday August 12.
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