Baby sling carriers raise safety concerns

Baby slings may be fashionable among Hollywood stars and other new parents but at a recent meeting I learned about some safety concerns that made me shudder. Over the past 10 years, there have been at least 22 reports of serious injury associated with the use of sling-type carriers. The injuries include skull fractures, head injuries, contusions and abrasions. Most occurred when the child fell out of the sling.

In addition to the injury reports, which were gathered by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a number of recalls of sling carriers in recent years (including the Infantino pictured) has prompted ASTM-International, a voluntary standards-setting organization, to hold its first organizational meeting to start a standards-development process for sling carriers to address safety problems. Concerns raised by manufacturers, who requested the review, included not only the fractures and bruises but the risk of smothering.  The CPSC information documented a risk of death caused from “positional asphyxia” caused by placing the infant in the sling in a head-forward position that can cause the airway to close.

Some of the incidents with sling carriers were likely due to improper assembly, improper wearing, or failure of rings or other hardware. Most of the sling carriers demonstrated at the ASTM meeting seemed complicated to put on and prone to user error. Clear instructions and perhaps video demonstrations might help prevent mistakes. But, as we all know, consumers may not read the instructions, and misinterpretation or misunderstanding can lead to errors that can endanger precious cargo.

It’s uncertain how an ASTM standard can help make these products safer or error proof. We caution parents who do favor the sling carriers to frequently check the hardware and adjustments—and to do so without the baby on board. For now, we think there are better ways of transporting infants including strollers, hand-held infant carrier/car seats and even other types of soft infant carriers. For additional information on our Ratings for these and other products visit the Babies & Kids section of the Web site or read the Babies & Kids blog. -- Don Mays

Sling carriers recalled by the CPSC

• Ellaroo Ring Sling Baby Carriers (2008)
• Infantino SlingRider Infant Carriers (2007, pictured above)
• ZoloWear Infant Carriers/Slings (2005)

Comments

[Brandon Waterman]

I am proud to say i will be a first time father come may 2009. I have been at my computer all dayresearching methods to transport my first child when born. After readingthe above article, i must say that after seeing the facts about strollers and other hardcast carriers, i feel more comfortable carrying my child in a traditional sling and or maya carrier like has been done for centuries versus transporting my child in a contraption built by the lowest builder. I have read report after report on these stroller and hardshelled carriers failing, versus 22 over a 10 year period, it doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out what is the safest method of transport. Do some factual research before writing an ignorant article, it really does make you look bad.

[Brooke McIntire]

This report is nauseatingly wrong in so many ways. This is strictly the opinion of one very ignorant and uneducated man. Sir, you have NO IDEA what you are talking about. You're "Facts" are simply your opinion, on a matter that you have obviously not taken the time to do appropriate research. Once again, my opinion of CR's is very low due to inaccurate and bogus reports.

As a co-leader of a local babywearing group, I have to battle this kind of information EVERY DAY, and it makes it so difficult for me to help mothers (and fathers) wear their babies safely. This is not a celebrity induced fad, as most celebrities wear their babies inappropriately. This is a way of child-rearing that has taken place for centuries.

I highly recommend you learn to research things before you post something so stupid as fact. I am so very very disgusted with this entire situation. I just pretty much echo what everyone else has said.

Brooke McIntire
Co-leader
River City Slingers
Decatur, AL

[Bailey Umm Ibrahim]

I think that in our society; because babies are not traditionally worn parents and caregivers don't know how to do it, couple that with the fact that there *are* some shotty slings and less than stellar baby carriers out there that are not just a waste of money but also a hazard. But, the vast majority of carriers are safe *when used properly*. Additionally in the majority of the world mothers still carry their babies around in some sort of carrier. It is the norm worldwide, it has also been the norm since who knows how far back. Car seats and strollers are a recent invention and so personally, and in my own experience I do think that if one uses a carrier properly and with common sense it's definitely safer than anything else out there.

[Nico]

I'm amazed Consumer Reports let this blog be posted & then LEFT IT UP! Where are the supporting facts? As far as I can see the facts support the opposite of what is being stated here. Are the editors alseep?? As a pregnant woman I've never used a sling & never owned any of the rest but even I can see this article has no value.

[Wendy]

I think the previous comments have said it all, this article is biased and ridiculous. I will now be taking any other recommendations CR has made with a grain of salt. If you are so out of line on this, how can I rely on CR for any information?

Since most of the documented injuries were from the parent tripping, I want to point out that I once had a bad fall while wearing my baby in a maya wrap. The maya wrap saved my baby because she stayed close to my body and secure in the wrap when I fell on my hands and knees and bloodied them up. If I had been holding her in my hands/arms she would have fallen on the hard cement. Thank goodness I had on a baby carrier.

[Eric]

I’m surprised that CR would encourage the use of other transportation methods, when the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an agency obviously respected by CR as a reliable source, reported for 2005, one year mind you not ten, 10,800 stroller injuries and 14,000 hand-held infant carrier/car seats injuries. If I had to choose a method of transportation for my child I would go with the product that had less than 3 injuries per year over the product that had more than 10 thousand injuries per year.

[Marketing Mommy]

Is this post an April Fool's joke or an attempt to get a job at The Onion? I'm flabbergasted that Consumer Reports would recommend a car seat or stroller over a sling. If I hadn't canceled my subscription a couple of months ago, I definitely would today.

[Julie]

The whole tone of this article is biased. Twenty-two injuries in ten years is very low. How many injuries have there been from stroller use? Many, many more, I would venture to guess. An improperly used stroller would be just as dangerous or possibly more so. It is unfortunate that this article (1) does not distinguish between types of carriers, (2) does not compare carriers to other methods of transporting babies, and (3) does not acknowledge that the "user error" likely results from our societies lack of familiarity with baby carriers.

Dismissing babywearing in favor of infant carseat style carriers and strollers when no data supporting lower injury rates for those methods is shocking.

One expects Consumer Reports to be unbiased and well-researched. This article was neither, and thus, I no longer trust Consumer Reports. I will not renew my subscription.

[J.B.]

Wow... it is amazing to me that a person uneducated on this subject wrote this article. Have you checked how many infant carseats have toppled over a shopping cart resulting in injury? Or maybe how many infants have fallen out of their strollers? Or babies in jogging strollers that have had the front wheel come off? I have had my infant in a sling/wrap/soft structured carrier since the day he was born. It is much safer then any stroller I have ever seen.

[J.J.]

So, 22 injuries over a ten year period is worse than the hundreds of stroller/carseat related injuries reported each year? Perhaps you should have included statistics to compare carrier injuries to injuries that occur in strollers, carseats, or shopping carts.

I am disappointed at how one-sided and presumptious this report is. Next time you should actually do some research instead of make a bunch of uneducated assumptions.

[Holly McCroskey]

Carrie, positional asphyxia refers to what happens when a newborn's head is pressed down into a chin-against-chest position. The newborn does not have the neck strength to keep his head up, so this can happen when the baby is in a carseat that's not at the correct recline angle, and it can happen in a sling or other carrier when the baby is not positioned correctly. The "kink" in the baby's airway can cause breathing difficulties and even suffocation.

This is an easy problem to avoid in most baby carriers, including most ring slings, with some awareness and perhaps a little practice. But bag slings, like the Infantino pictured, have several design features that can make it very hard for a newborn to breathe. (Infantino has recently added mesh panels to the sides of their bag sling in an effort to solve this problem, but of course many older models are still in use. And it's not a complete solution either.)

In any case, of course, the risk goes down a lot as soon as the baby gains more head control and strength, usually between 2 and 4 months.

I posted a long, detailed comment with links to statistics on stroller- and carrier seat-related injuries, as well as links to non-commercial/non-profit websites with a wealth of information on babywearing (including the one on which the original research regarding positional asphyxia in bag slings was posted), but it was "flagged as possible comment spam" perhaps because of the links. I do hope that Consumer Reports will publish it.

[Jane Lebak]

The article states:
"But, as we all know, consumers may not read the instructions, and misinterpretation or misunderstanding can lead to errors that can endanger precious cargo."

This is definitely true about car seats, which are installed improperly nine out of ten times even by parents who have read the owner's manual. But a baby sling is a fairly straightforward and uncomplicated piece of "equipment" and yes, my Mayawrap did come with an instruction video.

When a sling is used improperly, the wearer frequently knows it because the baby's position isn't secure. This is opposed to strollers and car seats which appear to function properly right up until the moment of crisis.

This is a very poorly written and poorly researched article. I generally expect better of Consumer Reports.

[candy]

This is a ridiculous report that reminds me why I hate Consumer Reports. They never do enough research on the products to come to any valuable conclusion.

Slings are safe. Life is dangerous.

Candy

[Shannon]

I am extremely disappointed in this article. 22 injuries in 10 years? Is that even worth reporting? Of course, any injury to a child is a tragedy, but they happen with ALL types of carriers, and 2 children a year is a very low number.

I'd be much more interested in seeing an article about how many babies have been injured by strollers and/or carseat carriers in the same 10-year span. I know for certain that there have been carseat recalls because of faulty handles that can give out and spill the baby out of the carrier. Babies have also died from positional asphyxiation in carseats, and some have been strangled by the straps when they were sleeping in the seat without being strapped in tightly enough. Babies have also fallen out of shopping carts, which have tipped over because the infant carseat on the top made them top heavy. Shopping with the baby in a sling or other worn carrier would solve that problem entirely.

There have been stroller recalls because of folding and tipping issues. How many babies have been injured in these sorts of accidents? How many babies have slipped out of a stroller because they weren't strapped in? How many toddlers have climbed out and tipped it over? User error is a concern with ALL baby products, and I'd guess there are a lot more than 22 injuries in 10 years with most other items.

Slings, wraps, mei tais, and other soft baby carriers are generally very safe. Yes, there is a learning curve to use them, but most come with written instructions, and many come with video demonstrations, as well. I wore both my daughters in slings and had absolutely no reservations about their safety because 1) I read the directions, 2) I practiced putting a baby doll in the sling before I put the wiggly baby in it, and 3) they were close to me, so I was much more aware of their well being than I would have been if they'd been facing away from me, mostly out of my sight in a stroller. Both despised the carseat and stroller but were quite content in the sling, close to Mama, where they could observe the world and then fall asleep when they were tired. Wearing them in the sling also kept them away from curious groping stranger hands and germs during flu season, and it provided a discreet way to nurse them when we were out and about.

I would suggest you do a lot more research before recommending against baby slings. They're probably a much SAFER way to carry a baby when you consider the injury statistics for strollers and infant carseats.

[Katrina]

I find your shortsighted dismissal of sling-type baby carriers to be extremely disappointing considering your place in the consumer landscape as a supposedly unbiased organization committed to providing expert product ratings and reviews.

I would have assumed that in an effort to provide expert reviews your organization would have done more research in an attempt to actually gain expertise relating to infant carriers. By availing yourselves of any of the many excellent sources of information on sling-type carriers you could have provided a more informed and intelligent recommendation than avoiding them.

[Carrie]

Can someone explain the "positional asphyxia" and what the heck a "head forward" position would be in a sling?

I have carried both of my sons in slings, pretty much constantly since 2002, when I threw out the baby bjorn for being an over complicated, uncomfortable waste of money. I fully expect my new baby, due this summer, will also be worn in this manner, but this asphyxiation threat is new to me. Is it serious or just one more idiotic prnouncement that our babies are better off isolated from human contact?

[Linda]

There are MANY different sorts of sling carriers, and even many more types of soft or fabric baby carriers that are not slings. While I agree that there are clearly serious safety concerns with the Infantino Slingrider (the sling pictured) and other similar bag-style slings, these same concerns do NOT apply to most other types of slings, such as Ring Slings (brands often cited for quality and ease of use include Maya Wrap, Sleeping Baby Productions, Eesti, Sakura Bloom, etc) and pouches (Hotslings is a brand available at Target, there are many others). Yes, wearers need to use the sling correctly. But I see far more serious errors in use of careseat carriers and strollers than I do with baby carriers (which makes sense logically, if one thinks of the many thousands of injuries reported annually related to those two devices).

I appreciate that Consumer Reports is taking an interest in baby carriers - yea! But I fear an unintended consequence of scaring people away from the use of a whole category of hugely beneficial and safe parenting items in an effort to avoid one or two specific problem products. I'd request a more thorough and clearer statement of the issues - one that doesn't "throw out the baby with the bathwater" by confusing one particular type of problematic product (bag-style slings) with all baby slings. I would also request a quick retraction (or at least rephrasing) of the suggestion to use strollers or carseat carriers rather than "any sort of sling," as the former are clearly more dangerous to infant safety than most types of slings. I would, agree with the suggestion of a stroller or carseat carrier over the Slingrider or other bag slings.

Thank you.

[Melissa Pruitt]

This editorial is obvious opinion that is being masqueraded as fact. The facts are skewed and provide a negative light on babywearing, which according to many parenting experts and doctors, is a very beneficial practice for parents and babies. Please sir, before you post your blogs, it may benefit you to do adequate research before condemning practices that you obviously have very little knowledge of or expertise on.

Melissa Pruitt
owner of Kindercarry and Magic Sling
www.magicsling.com

[Holly Brewster]

Wow - I am a subscriber to consumer reports and use it heavily in my consumer product decision-making. I can't really express how disappointed I am with the comments of Don Mays. To summarily dismiss using slings - without even distinguishing among the numerous different types and brands is reckless and unhelpful. I am accustomed to a more researched and reasoned approach to product review. Especially when it comes to a product that has so many more developmental and psychological benefits over strollers and car seats. Shame on you CR!

[Beth Leistensnider]

I commented earlier and learned that my thought that 10 of the 22 injuries were from Baby Bjorns is incorrect. However, I did verify that most of the 22 injuries reported were due to tripping--which has nothing to do with the product, its design or manufacture, or even user error as it pertains to the product. I would retiterate too that the style of sling pictured is very different from those made by Ellaroo, Zolowear, and others. And I would encourage you to look into how many injuries have occurred in the same 10-year period from faulty handheld car seats whose handles break and also remind you that positional asphyxia can occur in such seats, especially when they are used to deposit infants into for hours on end without adequate supervision.

[Britt Pegan]

I was saddened to read your thoughts on the recent sling recalls. As you're no doubt aware, the EllaRoo and Zolowear sling recalls were initiated by the manufacturers after reports of potential problems, not as a result of any injuries. If we compared the # of recalls and injuries reported from slings to the # of recalls and injuries reported from strollers and car seats (which you mentioned you thought are better ways to carry an infant), the statistics would prove that slings and baby carriers are safer ways to transport infants.

Undoubtably, slings and baby carriers are not familiar to you and the amount of information you've recently received on them is likely overwhelming. Babies are carried safely in slings all around the world every day and have been for hundreds of years. There are many brands that do include DVD instructions as well as excellent written instructions and there are many experts on babywearing eager to help new parents in their community.

The proactive approach to safety from the baby sling manufacturers - from initiating voluntary recalls to asking for the review you mention above - is to be commended and dismissing slings as too error prone to benefit from ASTM standards is shortsighted and not helpful to those of us who work everyday to ensure that parents are using carriers correctly. While slings are not as simple as "insert baby A into slot B", their versatility, ergonomic designs and long term comfort for both wearer and baby make them more valuable to parents than the mainstream front pack carriers that the ASTM is more comfortable with and deserving of more effort from the ASTM.

Britt Pegan
Milkface Nursingwear Inc

[Sallyanne Slater]

Only 22 injurues in 10 years? Wow! These carriers sound amazingly safe when one compares that statisic to the tens of thousands of injuries caused every year by accidents associated with highchairs, buggies and prams, car seat carriers, infant baths and equipment like bouncey seats and baby walkers.

[A M R]

You recommend the infant car seat carrier as an alternative to slings, but positional asphyxia is a concern there too. In addition, with the car seat/stroller, the child is not as close to the parent, thus the parent might not be as aware of the infant's distress.

Many baby products have problems with improper usage which leads to injuries. Estimates say 80% of car seats are installed incorrectly, but I don't see you suggesting parents shouldn't use them. I agree better education would be nice, however as with car seats, high chairs, and even bath tubs, it is impossible to force people to use them correctly.

[Rachel]

I find it interesting that you recommend the use of strollers and car seat carriers over slings when I know that there have been far more than 22 reported injuries linked to them in the past 10 years. Any device can be dangerous when used improperly or carelessly- but when used correctly and according to the instructions (which most responsible manufacturers provide in written format with the carrier and in video format on either a DVD or on their website) they are very safe and beneficial to the child's development, as they encourage more interaction with their caregiver and the world around them.

[Conuly]

Only 22 injuries in 10 years? That's not even three a year, out of the thousands (or more) of babies worn that way, in the way that babies have been worn for the whole of human civilisation.

And when you realize that many of those babies who were injured were being worn improperly (because our society doesn't tend to wear babies, so it has to be a learned skill)... well, it's even safer.