Here’s some upsetting news.

Gov’t to warn on baby slings because of deaths, AP

The U.S. government is preparing a safety warning about baby slings — those popular and fashionable infant carriers that parents can sling around their chests to carry their baby.The concern is that infants can suffocate, and a few have.

Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum says her agency is getting ready to issue a general warning to the public, likely to go out this week, about the baby carriers.

She did not single out any specific slings or discuss at least seven reported deaths linked to them.

Safety advocates have cautioned that some slings, where the baby falls into a curved or “C-like” position inside the sling, can lead to suffocation by restricting the baby’s breathing.

Although any carrier which places a baby in a “C-like” position(with the head curled forward) may cause a suffocation risk, the primary culprits for putting babies in a “C-like” position are bag-style slings, including:

The Baby Slings Safety Blog has a thorough description of how bag styles slings pose a safety risk to babies.  I would recommend you read this if you would like to learn more about how to spot an unsafe baby carrier.

There are so many benefits to wearing babies.  It reduces crying, promotes attachment, and helps your baby stay in that quiet alert phase that is so good for learning about the world.  But obviously, babywearing must be  done safely, an important part of babywearing is knowing how to tell if your baby is positioned safely.  I would encourage everyone who is babywearing or thinking of wearing to read The Baby Wearer’s article “Correct Positioning: For the Safety and Comfort of your Baby” [PDF].  It has lots of great pictures that show you what is a safe and comfortable position so that you can feel confident that your baby is safe and breathing well in your baby carrier.