Safety of baby slings, wraps and carriers

Pediatric Otolaryngologist Nina Shapiro, MD, discusses the safety of baby slings and baby carriers and how to be sure that you are using them safely
Safety of Baby Slings, Wraps, and Carriers
KidsInTheHouse the Ultimate Parenting Resource
Kids in the House Tour

Safety of baby slings, wraps and carriers

Comment
117
Like
117
Transcription: 

Baby slings and baby carriers are absolutely safe. What you need to do is to know how to use them safely. There have been some reports of babies dying while they are in baby slings or baby carriers. The reason for this is very similar to the reason babies die of SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. They fall asleep. They are in an enclosed area and they just stop breathing. It is a silent death. You don't know that your child is not breathing. To use a baby sling or a baby carrier safely, you need to keep your baby's face exposed. They have a tiny little nose and a tiny little mouth. They usually only breathe through their nose for the first few months of life. Keep their face exposed to air, and the carriers are very safe.


Pediatric Otolaryngologist Nina Shapiro, MD, discusses the safety of baby slings and baby carriers and how to be sure that you are using them safely

Related Videos

Transcript

Expert Bio

More from Expert

Nina Shapiro, MD

Pediatric Otolaryngologist

Dr. Nina Shapiro is the Director of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) and an Associate Professor of Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  As the first fellowship-trained pediatric otolaryngologist at the medical center since it was founded in 1955, her presence has put UCLA 'on the map' in her field.  

A graduate of Harvard Medical School and Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences, she also completed her residency training at Harvard.  She then went on to complete additional subspecialty training in pediatric otolaryngology at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, and The Children's Hospital of San Diego.

A native of New York, Shapiro has been honored with several prestigious awards, including the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology Award for Clinical Research, the UCLA Division of Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Teaching Award, and the American Academy of Pediatrics Young Investigators Award.  She has also been named "Super Doctor" by Los Angeles Magazine, and has been listed in "Who's Who in America".  

She has authored over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles, has edited a pediatric otolaryngology textbook, and is the author of the parenting book Take a Deep Breath: Clear the Air for the Health of Your Child, releaseded in January 2012. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children, and enjoys spending time with them more than anything else in the world.

More Parenting Videos from Nina Shapiro, MD >
Enter your email to
download & subscribe
to our newsletter
  Listen or Watch
Must See First Year Videos
Three important rules about your baby's first foods
First year milestones
Postnatal depression and loneliness advice
Baby losing interest in nursing
The importance of spending quality time during early childhood
Narrating an infant's environment
Research based benefits of co-sleeping
Bonding versus attachment
Bonding with your baby after a less-than-perfect birth
Preventing postpartum depression
Play All 34 Videos
Featured Experts: Alan Greene, MD, Lawrence Kagan, MD, Barbara Olinger, MSW
More Playlists >
Transcription: 

Baby slings and baby carriers are absolutely safe. What you need to do is to know how to use them safely. There have been some reports of babies dying while they are in baby slings or baby carriers. The reason for this is very similar to the reason babies die of SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. They fall asleep. They are in an enclosed area and they just stop breathing. It is a silent death. You don't know that your child is not breathing. To use a baby sling or a baby carrier safely, you need to keep your baby's face exposed. They have a tiny little nose and a tiny little mouth. They usually only breathe through their nose for the first few months of life. Keep their face exposed to air, and the carriers are very safe.