SIDS, flatheads and Autism: babies sleeping on backs

Here's some more on these mattress covers:

NEW ZEALAND COT DEATH (SIDS) RESEARCH INVALIDATED BY BIASED SAMPLING AND INCORRECT STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

And some topics about this on ATS:

Link 1
Link 2

Of course these covers don't guarantee anything and precaution against SIDS should still be practiced, but surely it won't hurt to have one of these as a bed wetting wrap??

How common where everyone is is the use of tea tree bark mattresses for babies?

www.basicallybaby.com.au...

I think they are wonderful, given the properties of this material.

And does the bed/bedding make any difference?

Another good website concerning the Toxic-Mattress theory:

www.prevent-sids.org...

The Tea Tree products look good, although it has been said that their round corners are a hazard in square cots, or that they don't provide an equal firm surface...

I'm glad I'm not a baby anymore... (Well maybe not) but anyway, I can never sleep on my back comfortably, I have trouble breathing when I sleep on my back, snoring and such. It's much worse in children who are barrel chested.

I can only sleep on my sides, and before I had my back surgery I could sleep comfortably on my stomach now because of that I'm not really supposed to sleep on my stomach.

If I had a baby, would I make him/her sleep in a certain position? I don't know... I mean, how do other cultures nurse their babies, and are the SID rates as comparable to those who practice Western medicine?

So far I've seen three arguments for SIDS and Autism... Toxic bedding, Vaccines, sleeping on the back...

Maybe baby knows best, and bedding should be nontoxic and firm enough so that if the baby is on his/her stomach, the baby can still breathe because the bedding is not soft enough to wrap over his/her nose or mouth, and baby should be kept warm by moderate clothing and warm rooms instead of blankets...

What concerns me though is seeing mothers carriage their babies on the streets all swaddled up with blankets with toques over their heads on summer days... Have you ever used a toque on a summer day?

Brains are supposed to be kept cool, but these mothers are way too overprotective.

reply to post by rubyeyes


You've got three different issues here and since I have 4 kids, while certainly no expert, do have some experience.

Each child is different when it comes to sleeping on their stomachs. We back and side slept our kids until they were strong enough to sleep on their stomachs. All of my kids slept much better on their stomachs. There ability to do that has to do with strength. Giving the kid a lot of time on his belly in play time will muscle him/her and get them more confident and able to stomach sleep.

I can't imagine how autisim can be related to sleeping habits, but I'm certainly not qualified to make a judgement. Personally I think its vaccines.

The flat head deal is primarily due to neglected babys. Not exclusively, but it is not due to sleeping. It is due to having the child on his back or in a child seat/car seat for very long periods of time repeatedly. If you leave an infant in a crib or in a seat where their head is resting against a hard surface all day, his head is going to flatten. IMO, leaving your baby in a position like that for extended is neglect.

It is true that cultures that allow for more time on stomach have kids walking at a younger age and they are capable of many tasks b.c they are allowed to climb a lot too.
However, I wouldnt let a baby sleep on its stomach, that is why experts are promoting tummy time and there are toys available for this. It is the parents job to make sure tummy time takes place while they can watch the child and to give them a lot of time and exercise doing this. There's really no need to do this while the child should be asleep.