Baby positioners, including wedge-shaped ones, are designed to prevent babies from rolling onto their stomachs while sleeping, but consumer safety groups warn of suffocation risks. Homemade positioners, such as rolled towels or swaddling, are safer alternatives. The medical community advises against placing anything soft in a baby’s crib to reduce the risk of suffocation or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
A baby positioner is a device designed to keep a baby from rolling onto their stomach while sleeping. It usually includes a mat with pillows or cushions on each side to keep your baby in place at night or during nap time. Consumer safety organizations and some government agencies warn parents who use baby positioners about the risk of suffocation from the products. Some positioners have been recalled and manufacturers have been warned not to make medical claims about products without scientific evidence.
A wedge-shaped baby positioner fits under the mattress or inside a crib to elevate the baby’s head while sleeping. Manufacturers claim that these tools address gastroesophageal reflux disease and could prevent regurgitation of breast milk or formula. They also say this type of baby positioner could help a baby sleep more soundly when suffering from a cold, colic or sleep apnea, a condition characterized by periods in which a baby stops breathing.
Consumer safety groups say these claims are unsubstantiated and that wedge-shaped infant positioners could be dangerous. They report cases where children fall off the wedge, which could land on them, preventing breathing. A shift in these baby positioners could also trap a baby’s face between the wedge and the side of the crib.
The infant pillow or baby positioner is meant to prevent babies from rolling onto their stomachs while sleeping. Medical research has found that the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) increases when babies sleep on their stomachs. Most experts have recommended placing babies on their backs at bedtime for the first year of life to reduce the risk of SIDS, which is most prevalent in the first four months after birth and the leading cause of infant death.
This type of infant positioner could also be dangerous, according to government consumer protection agencies. A child’s face could become trapped against the pillow and restrict breathing, these organizations report. Claims that this form of baby positioner reduces the risk of SIDS are unsubstantiated, research reveals, and may pose an increased risk of suffocation.
Parents of newborns have used homemade baby positioners for years to keep babies safe at night. A rolled up towel or blanket creates a baby positioner to hold a baby on their back or side while they sleep. Swaddling a baby safely wrapped in a blanket could also prevent him from rolling over during the night. Security blankets can be purchased with a zipper that prevents the blanket from covering a child’s face.
The medical community advises against placing anything soft in a baby’s crib that could increase the risk of suffocation. Experts recommend a firm crib mattress with a fitted sheet without stuffed animals, pillows or blankets. Newborns should be dressed in warm pajamas and left uncovered, they advise, to reduce the risk of suffocation or SIDS.
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