Parents are being warned about the dangers of using heavy blankets and sleeping bags for babies and toddlers this winter.
Red Nose Australia issued a new winter warning about heavy blankets, beads or sand to make them heavier, warning that heavy sleeping bags could pose a risk of suffocation.
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.
New mom Stephanie Ciccarella said with parents giving out so much advice, it can be hard to tell what’s safe and what’s not when it comes to sleep. (new)
Red Nose Australia chief executive Keren Ludski said the two deaths highlighted what could happen if a baby or child couldn’t remove the blanket when needed.
“When you put a heavy blanket for an adult near a baby or a child, the risk of something really horrible happening is very high,” he said.
“It was incredibly alarming to think of a weight being placed on a baby’s chest that could somehow impede their ability to breathe.”
New mom Stephanie Ciccarella said with parents giving out so much advice, it can be hard to tell what’s safe and what’s not when it comes to sleep.
She said she had been given lots of tips and tricks to help settle her three-month-old daughter Francesca.
“I’m bombarded on social media, so Instagram and Facebook about different sleep techniques,” she said.
Baby “sleeping bags” are also available to buy online for babies.
Parents warned of danger of heavy blankets and sleeping bags (new)
Sleeping bags, often with a weight placed on the baby’s chest, can compress the lungs, causing a lack of oxygen.
They can also cause overheating, a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome.
Safe sleeping tips, such as information about heavy blankets, are made possible by funds raised through Red Nose Day on Friday 12 August.