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Study Results Show Soft Bedding Link to Infant Deaths June 15, 1998
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SourceUnited States Consumer Product Safety CommissionForumsHealth, Safety, Nutrition and KidsRelated ArticlesA Consumer Guide to Product Safety RecallsCPSC Hotline Information For Immediate Release; |
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning parents and caregivers about the dangers of placing soft bedding under infants when they are sleeping because of the risk of suffocation. According to a study, conducted by CPSC, and published in the June issue of the American Medical Association's Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, soft bedding should not be placed under infants, regardless of the way they are placed to sleep because it has the potential to cover their noses and mouths, blocking their airways. Of 206 cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) the study examined to discover what factors were associated with the cause of death, about 30 percent of the infants were found with their noses and mouths covered by soft bedding. Most of the infants in the study had been placed on their stomachs to sleep, and were found lying face down on top of pillows, comforters or other bedding with enough softness to allow a pocket to form beneath the infant's head. Pillows, which were often adult-sized, and comforters were usually placed beneath the infant for additional comfort. Regardless of the original sleep position, however, the researchers found soft bedding to be dangerous. Nine infants in the study had turned from either their backs or sides onto their stomachs, and were found with their airways covered. CPSC and the collaborating researchers from the University of Maryland and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis recommend the following safety guidelines for infants less than eight months old:
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