Don’t leave your infant sleeping in the baby rocker, US regulators warn
Baby rockers are a common sight in households with infants. But these seemingly harmless-looking things are actually hazardous for your babies.
US regulators and Fisher-Price, the company producing toys for children, have warned against letting your infant sit or sleep unsupervised in the baby rockers. The reason? Infant deaths.
What do the new regulations say? The safety alert said that parents shouldn’t let their babies sleep in certain rockers after at least 13 deaths were reported over a 12-year span.
The rockers mentioned here are the Infant-to-Toddler Rocker and Newborn-to-Toddler Rocker. The regulators also recommended that parents should let their infants sleep on a firm, flat surface at a sleep angle of 10 degrees or less.
Why are the rockers dangerous? The rockers that swing the chair back and forth to put the baby to sleep can also suffocate the infant to death if left to sleep on it. Other materials like plush toys, pillows etc also increase the risk of suffocation.
Safe Sleep Best Practices for Babies:
— US Consumer Product Safety Commission (@USCPSC) May 13, 2022
1. Always place your baby to sleep on their back to reduce the risk of sudden unexpected infant death syndrome (SUID/SIDS) and suffocation.
“No inclined product, made by Fisher-Price or any other company, is safe for infant sleep. Only a firm, flat surface is safe,” Washington Post quoted CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr.
In 2019, the US department had even recalled a Fisher Price’s Rock n’ Play Sleepers after at least 30 infant deaths between 2011 and 18 tied to the product.
What is the safest place for a baby to sleep? The safest place for a baby is a bassinet or a crib with a firm and flat surface without any pillows or other materials cluttering the area. Babies can also die a sudden death if they are sleeping along with their parents on their beds due to suffocation or other accidents.
Products like rockers are very popular among parents. That’s mainly because babies have a hard time sleeping, and these products put the babies much at ease and soon into sleep. And their sleep-deprived parents find it easy to put the babies to sleep too, without having to wake up every other hour or so. But these products are not meant for babies to sleep in.