There is a valid significant association between the use of a used infant mattress and an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, especially if the mattress is from another household. As a parent, this research can seem a little overwhelming. Their natural parental instinct would be to dispose of the second-hand mattress to ensure the safety of their babies. Despite the inability to establish a cause and effect relationship between second-hand mattresses and SIDS, it is advisable to abandon the old mattress and opt for a new mattress for your baby, especially if the used one comes from another home.
Alisa Baer, MD, is a board certified pediatrician, nationally certified child passenger safety instructor, and co-founder of The Car Seat Lady. In her 21 years in the field, Dr. Baer has consulted with many of the major car seat manufacturers in the design and development of their car seats. Most cribs use a standard size crib mattress, but you'll also find those that don't.
A poorly adjusted mattress can pose a serious danger to your child's safety. The surface of the mattress should appear firm and even. If you notice any sagging or signs of body contouring, the mattress poses a SIDS risk and should be changed. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as crib death or sudden death, is the leading cause of death for babies one month to one year old.
Ongoing research into SIDS occasionally leads to discoveries of risk factors associated with these deaths, but after more than 50 years, researchers say they still don't know how or why it occurs. The predominant official view on SIDS is that the cause is unknown (SIDS Alliance 200). It may seem inconceivable that more than a million babies have died of this “syndrome”, and after almost half a century and many millions of dollars spent, no one in this age of science and technology can tell us why. But what many parents don't know is that a very convincing explanation for this tragedy has been proposed, along with a simple means of eliminating it.
This explanation is supported by some evidence, but it has been and continues to be completely ignored by SIDS organizations, the medical community and the government, for a variety of reasons, including politics, financial responsibility and vested interests. Are babies at risk of deaths that can be easily prevented? There are several reasons, but one possible reason is that mattress manufacturers are required to use fire retardants through government regulations. Admitting that these chemicals are causing deaths would mean admitting greater responsibility. In addition, crib death research has been an important source of funding for medical researchers in the U.S.
UU. Unfortunately, the ongoing complex and costly research leading to the discovery of “risk factors for the so-called “syndrome” has left aside the simple and inexpensive solution of wrapping mattresses; a solution that cannot cause any harm. The Cover-up of Sudden Death (Penguin books, New Zealand, 199, by Dr. Jim Sprott, reveals the astonishing story of denial by researchers of cradle death and the medical community, and the failure of these entities to accept such a simple explanation.
Sprott first suggested a toxic gas theory for manger death in 1986, and in 1989 Barry Richardson, from Great Britain, also an independent consultant chemist, published research into the finding. In response, the British government set up expert committees to investigate the findings. A committee released the Turner Report, which recommended that chemicals be removed from babies' mattresses and that babies be tested for antimony. A second committee published the 1998 Limerick Report, which SIDS organizations frequently cite for not finding evidence to support the claim that toxic gases cause crib death.
Contrary to this publicity, the Limerick Report did not refute the theory (Fitzpatrick 199; in fact, it provides additional confirmation of it (Sprott 2000). However, no baby has died sleeping on a well-wrapped mattress. This is crucial information for parents. Parents should be given the information so that they can decide for themselves whether they want to wait for SIDS research organizations or the government to support the mattress wrap or “play it safe”, as many parents have done in New Zealand.
Sprott points out, and no one has denied it: “All the deaths in New Zealand cribs since mattress wrapping began in late 1994 have occurred when parents haven't wrapped their babies' mattresses. An inexpensive, non-toxic protective cover can surely do no harm. Instead of putting unnecessary obstacles in the way of a harmless and potentially life-saving product, why don't authorities endorse mattress wrapping in the U.S. To see if the results achieved in New Zealand could double here? The score in New Zealand is now from 1020 deaths (orthodox tips to prevent death in cribs) to none (mattress wrapping).
With so many babies born in the U.S. That in New Zealand, the potential to save lives is dramatically greater: thousands every year. Why should a single baby be denied something that could save his life? Infants over 1 year old, children and adults are affected by toxic gases, but not in a fatal way, since their nervous and elimination systems are more developed and can handle more toxins than a small baby. Elhaik's recent studies convincingly argue that SIDS is caused by an accumulation of stressors and not just one.
When these stressors cross the baby's tolerance, they die. The main stressors are known as smoking, drug abuse, etc., but Elhaik states that circumcision is a major stressor. A crib mattress can cause a baby to breathe harmful carbon dioxide again if they turn around. Significant research suggests that SIDS is caused by crib mattresses in which babies sleep for the vast majority of their young lives.
Mattresses are often immersed in harmful chemical compounds that are used to create a fire barrier. A fungus that normally grows on the bed can interact with these harmful chemicals and create toxic fumes. The sleeping baby can breathe and absorb these toxic chemicals. If the baby is exposed to lethal doses, the central nervous system will shut down.
First, breathing is inhibited and then heart function is stopped. These toxic gases, created by the chemicals in flame retardants, can fatally poison a sleeping baby and an autopsy would reveal no signs of struggle or poison. The Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow has revealed a possible link between “Cot Death” and the use of second-hand mattresses, which has been attributed to bacteria present in the mattress. Throughout the article, they also recommend that your baby's mattress be new, clean, firm, without sagging and that it shows no signs of deterioration to avoid the possibility of sudden death or SIDS.
The condition commonly known as sudden death causes the death of 500 babies each year in the UK. In the vast majority of cases, the baby dies in his sleep, however, SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) does not affect sleeping babies exclusively. Since SIDS has no exact cause, pediatricians emphasize that the advice given is good practice and not a guarantee. Some medical professionals even say that the condition is genetic and cannot be prevented.
However, in all cases, a new mattress is recommended to be considered safe. Previously used crib mattresses had been used by another child; previously unused mattresses had been used by only one child. Data on infant and mattress-related factors were obtained from parents who donated crib mattresses for the study using a questionnaire. Sprott explains that the risk of death increases when mattresses are reused from one baby to another because the fungus has already had a chance to settle on the used mattress.
For example, most babies are in cribs until about two years old, and almost all toddler beds come with fireproof mattresses similar to mattresses for baby cribs. James Kemp and his colleagues are some of the first to study the potential of various crib mattresses and sleeping surfaces to prevent breathing again. There should be no more than two fingers wide of space between the side of the mattress and the crib frame. Similarly, when considering only the HCS or TCS regions of the mattress covers, the type of mattress (p%3d0.14 and 0.43 respectively) or previous use of non-integral mattresses by another child (p%3d0.23 and 0.45 respectively) did not significantly influence bacterial population levels (data not shown).
Researchers construct a moderately suffocating surface, a duvet placed on a foam baby crib mattress with a two-inch deep circular depression that sits directly under the baby's face. While it may be tempting to reuse a crib mattress or buy a second-hand one, you should only consider a used mattress if it meets the above safety and cleaning guidelines. Also, if the mattress makes noise when you move it or if you can feel the springs protrude through the cushioning, do not use the mattress. With respect to crib mattress covers, the type of mattress and previous use by another child did not significantly influence the bacterial population density (total counts) or the frequency of isolation of S.
. .
