Pregnant women are literally inundated with information on all the baby products they need to buy before baby arrives. Family, friends, baby books, magazines and baby stores will recommend a mountain of baby products. The result can leave you feeling confused and more than a little over-whelmed.
However, there are some products experts recommend you should not buy for reasons explained below:
Cot bumpers
For many years it’s been reported that cot bumpers aren’t safe. There’s no evidence that bumpers protect against injury, but they do carry a potential risk of suffocation, strangulation or entrapment. Infants lack both the motor skills and strength required to turn their heads once they have rolled into something that will obstruct their breathing.
Door bouncer
They seem like an exciting pastime for babies that will keep them safely entertained, but many paediatricians disagree for a rather obvious reason – If the straps or clamps should break your child could be seriously injured in a fall or if they are particularly hyper he/she could easily harm themselves on the door frame.
Bag style slings
Baby-wearing has grown in popularity over the last number of years due to the advantages of keeping your child close by and the bonding experience that provides. However, some slings styles can be harmful for a baby. This bag style sling is dangerous because the baby has to lie in a ‘C’-shaped position, with no support and it can cause low oxygen support that could lead to suffocation.
Before choosing your sling, make sure it follows the TICKS guidelines:
- Tight
- In view at all times
- Close enough to kiss
- Keep chin off chest
- Supported back
Baby walker
Baby walkers are known to cause more accidents than any other piece of baby equipment. Babies can cause themselves painful accidents like bumping into sharp corners, pulling objects down from heights or spilling hot drinks on themselves. They can also hinder the development of floor mobility skills such as crawling and sitting. Finally, a baby should learn to walk on their toes before the soles of their feet and as a result, it’s recommended the time spent in walkers be limited to twenty minutes maximum.
Bath seats and supports
While handy when it comes to bathing your precious but slippery not to mention wriggly baby, the concern is that these bath seats lull parents into a false sense of security. Parents feel like it’s safe to step out of the room for a quick moment because the baby is secure. Still, there is a very real danger that a baby can drown in as little as 5cm of water.
How much times does it take for a toddler to drown?
- Cross a room for a towel (10 sec), a child in a bathtub can be submerged.
- Answer the phone (2 min), a child can lose consciousness.
- Sign for a package at the front door (4-6 min), a child submerged in a tub or pool can sustain permanent brain damage.
maternity & infant
Originally posted 2016-02-22 17:16:23.