I’m really appalled at a Web site I’ve just visited, for a company called Safe T Sleep. Check it out for yourself: they’re selling a baby straitjacket. No kidding. A device that you wrap around your mattress and then around the midsection of a baby (age 0-3, they say) and they’re then immobilized. If you can handle it, they even have a movie of how the product is used…
This has got to be the most appalling product I’ve seen sold in the parenting arena since a fake hand and arm that is used to hold a bottle in place right by a baby’s mouth: the idea was that it was supposed to be like Mama holding a bottle. But, um, it’s a plastic arm.
In both cases, what on earth are these parents thinking?
I remember a product like that… in the movie “Mommy Dearest”!
In Denmark were I live the baby sleeps outside in a pram. it’s nessary from the age it can crawl and sit up to fasten it to the pram otherwise the baby can fall out and really hurt it self. It’s no different then using a babybed with bars…If you don’t use that but sleep in a normal bed with the child, you must be VERY sure to wakeup if the baby moves!!
KInd regards 🙂
You really should get better informed before you judge these things. They are nothing more than a velcro, material body wrap that goes around the babys tummy. They are designed to help prevent cot deaths and head deformities as well as giving a good nights sleep to both babies and parents. Once our darling baby is tucked in at night with this product we know she is safe and happy. We have been using this product since she arrived home from hospital and has been sleeping through the night since six weeks and is now six months and sleeps 12 hours each night. I am sure one of the reasons being her great sleeping is because of this product as we have tried her with out it and she gets into many difficult and dangerous sleeping positions.
I don’t think it’s about being informed, I think it’s about calling something what it is. If it works for you, that’s great, but unless it’s an exceptional situation I can’t imagine why a baby of a few weeks old needs to be immobilized to sleep well…
It is a great product for new borns as you are able to position them on their side so as not to give flat heads. Also the other reason why I used it with my new born straight away was so that she would get used to being it. Also there is another product available which I am sure people approve/disaprove of and its blocks that you put you baby between and allows you to sleep you baby on his/her side so not getting flat areas on their wee heads.
That doesn’t really make any sense to me. Do you really think that if your baby lays a certain way for a few hours that they’ll end up with a “flat area on their wee head”? Sounds a whole lot more like an urban myth than the reality of life for a baby. Further, if they aren’t immobilized, babies tend to move around, even while they’re asleep.
Yes I do really think they will end up with a “flat area on their wee head” I have a friend who has a child with a huge flat area on her head because of this and also I work with Plastic surgery consultants who often see children with this in their clinics. I am wondering if you have had a proper look at this web site as their is a letter from a Plastic Surgery consultant, go on take a look have a read. I believe what ever works for you go for it, if you dont want to use it dont!
Babies getting flat heads from sleeping in one position is pretty common. It’s called positional buying a special helmet to help cure it–these helmets are custom made and cost a LOT, like $3000. My baby has just been diagnosed with it and it is a real nuisance; trying to get him to turn his head in a different direction when he sleeps is pretty tricky. The Safe-T Sleep is one of several products designed to help by holding baby in a position so his head can round out; it is also intended to help keep babies in a family bed from ending up smothering under the covers. I’m not sure what is so appalling about this.
Patricia Johnson
New interesting theme
Patricia Johnson
New interesting theme
Dave, you are ridiculous. Your objectivity is immediately in question when you call this a baby straitjacket. Your exaggeration shows your contempt and immediately questions your credibility.
Dave, I never said I was objective. How can you be objective in the face of things like this particular “device” or so many of the other wacky inventions that are on the market as ways for parents to avoid parenting? I’m quite comfortable with my earlier comments, actually, and am also fine with us disagreeing on this topic. 🙂
I have just found this website today and have found it very interesting. I am expecting my first baby at the end of October and intend to breastfeed and cosleep. I have bought a minicosleeper – google it if your want more info.
Anyway I just had to comment on this particular discussion. The following is just my opinion of course.
1: dont really agree that this product is necessary but if there are parents out there who use it and feel happy doing so thats ok
2: its been proven that a baby should sleep on its back as this reduces the risk of cot death considerably!
3: of course if baby is sleeping on his/her back they will get a flat spot on their head – thats one reason for giving your baby ‘tummy time’ every day!
Maybe the above has only been discovered/proven since may 2006 not sure on that point so thought I should add my comment
Alright, BB, in the best interest of an informed discussion, can you please cite your sources for #2? I am skeptical, particularly of your use of “considerably” in that sentence…
I don’t have any real feelings regarding this product either way, but I do want to respond to your last question, Dave, regarding what source BB got her information about the risk of crib death. I see that you are all using the term “cot death,” which is something I’ve never heard, so I think perhaps you’re from somewhere outside the U.S. In the U.S. it’s widely held that sleeping a baby on it’s back is a very effective means of reducing crib death. Doctors and hospitals give new parents pamphlets. When the notion was first introduced, they had agressive ad campaigns, known as the “Back to Sleep” program, to let parents know about it. Since the majority of Americans have begun having infants sleep on their backs, the incidence of crib death here in the U.S. has dropped by about 50%.
You can read about it here: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/sids/
It’s interesting to think that they don’t have the same practice in other countries, if you are indeed from somewhere other than the U.S.
I’ll agree with you that the wrap is kind of scary, but then I am also an AP cosleeping parent. Many people say that these wraps allow you to sleep bub on their side to avoid flat heads (yes it does happen if bub prefers lying one way) but if you wear your baby in a sling or other carrier and let them sleep however they want then flat heads aren’t an issue as they don’t spend much time lying down! Plus you don’t spend as much time settling bub to sleep as they have you right there for comfort.
In regards to the cot death thing, there are many studies proving that sleeping on their back is safer,but really, they can’t roll for the first while anyway and by the time they can they canshove anythng out of the way if it obstructs their breathing. The other huge danger for cot death that isn’t mentioned is the practice of putting bub in a different room where you can’t hear then rouse and therefore can’t deal with covers over their face like you can if cosleeping.
Ok, enough of me on the soapbox now, I’ll let you have it back 🙂