More importantly, you can do something to prevent crib death in your own home. Crib death is caused by toxic gases which are emitted from your baby’s crib mattress. A fungus which grows inside all mattresses eats away at elements inside the baby’s mattress and this process creates the toxic nerve gases which silently kill babies who breathe them in. This explanation for crib death answers the reason why babies sleeping on their stomachs are more likely to die of “SIDS.” Placing a baby on his back reduces the risk of crib death because he does not breathe in concentrated amounts of this gas as a face-down baby would.
The more a mattress is used (such as a hand-me-down from previous siblings), the more fungus will be present in the mattress, the more dangerous the mattress is. This also answers the reason why 2nd, 3rd, and 4th children are increasingly at greater risk for crib death than the previous baby. The toxic gas explanation also answers why crib death has not been around very long. It is a relatively new phenomenon. This is because the fire retardants put into mattresses are the elements which, when consumed by the fungus, are causing the toxic nerve gases. Fire retardants were not added to mattresses until the 1950s.
The best news is that you can protect your baby from these gases with a BabeSafe mattress cover. This gas-impermeable cover made from high-grade polyethylene slips over your current crib mattress. The success rate of this product is tremendous. Absolutely NO babies sleeping on wrapped mattresses have died of crib death out of about 200,000. During the same period, the number of babies sleeping on unwrapped mattresses continues to climb. Of the babies sleeping on wrapped mattresses, close to 200 babies “should have” died according to statistics.
Don’t become a statistic! Cover your baby’s
mattress, and follow the proper bedding protocol:
Do NOT use any of the following as baby bedding:
· Sheepskin or sheepfleece underlay
· Moisture-resistant crib mattress protector
· Any underblanket which is not made of pure cotton
· Acrylic blanket
· Any blanket which contains polyester
· Sleeping bag
· Duvet
These commonly used bedding items contain the same elements found in the fire retardant compounds in the baby’s mattress. Also, do not allow your baby to sleep in any adult bed that is not wrapped. Adult beds are just as dangerous as crib mattresses for babies up to 12 months.
Information about the toxic gas theory is making its way throughout the US. Mattress wrapping has been practiced in other countries, like New Zealand, for over 10 years with 100% success. Since there are other SIDS organizations who don’t accept the toxic gas theory, we have been led to believe that there is no “cure.” Australians have recently admitted that, "....the case for the toxic gas theory for cot death is so compelling that not responding to it is incomprehensible."
For more information, and to obtain your own BabeSafe mattress cover, you can visit http://www.thediaperlady.com/sids-prevention.htm. Sleep well at night knowing the facts about crib death and how you CAN protect your baby!
Here you go….. here are some of my favorite Easter crafts and activities to do with my children for the Easter Holidays. Kids love the Holidays for many reasons. But, I like to remind my children that bottom line the Holidays are about "Family". So, remind your [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "20 Egg-sellent Easter Crafts & Activities for Kids", url: "http://www.abchomepreschool.com/PreschoolEducationBlog/2008/03/21/20-easter-crafts-and-activities-for-kids/" });
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Do you use the terms “fall” and “autumn” interchangeably? If so, you are just like most other people in America who agree that the two words are meant to mean the same thing (the season that comes after summer and before winter). But there is another school [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "How to Explain to your Preschooler if it is Autumn or Fall", url: "http://www.abchomepreschool.com/PreschoolEducationBlog/2007/10/28/how-to-explain-to-preschooler-if-it-is-autumn-or-fall/" });
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October just might be the most fun month there is as far as fall preschool themes go. It’s early enough in the year that there are still plenty of outdoor activities that can be done with preschoolers. It’s also early enough in the year that you’re not [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Preschool October Themes - As Fall Continues", url: "http://www.abchomepreschool.com/PreschoolEducationBlog/2007/10/10/preschool-october-themes-as-fall-continues/" });
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