It was a crisp fall day when my son’s body froze in a series of spasms. At the same time he had a panicked wild look on his face as if he couldn’t breathe. After a 911 call, we took him to our doctor who referred us to a local children’s hospital so that my son could undergo a series of neurological tests.
The result was a diagnosis of Sandifer’s Syndrome wherein severe reflux causes a baby to have seizure-like movements and other side effects. After an overnight stay at a children’s hospital, the doctor on duty at the hospital instructed us to purchase a Fisher Price Rock n’ Play.
According to her, the incline would help prevent my son from experiencing the painful effects of the reflux in addition to medication she prescribed. She used it with her children and said she recommended it to other parents as well.
We went online that night and ordered the model she suggested. When it arrived we immediately put it to use, removing the padding as she suggested to reduce the risk of suffocation.
While I was tempted to allow my son to sleep in it at night, I never really felt comfortable with him “sitting” lower than the level of our bed. Regular use was under careful supervision, since my son was born two months early and we were always on “high-alert”. Eventually my son grew too big for the rocker and began trying to crawl out of it. We put it away, possibly for use with a sibling.
We were shocked when a few months later stories surfaced of injuries and deaths associated with using the Rock n’ Play and similar rockers. Why weren’t parents warned sooner?
Webmd.com writes about the warning issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and what’s being done to prevent these tragic events from happening again.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning parents to not let a baby sleep in rockers, pillows, car seats or any other product that holds an infant at an incline—with their head higher than their feet.
The warning comes after the agency studied what happened to babies’ movements and oxygen levels when they were placed in various products and positions.
“The results showed some evidence that it’s easier for babies to roll from their backs to their stomachs in these products,” she says.
These findings back up case reports of infant deaths. The Consumer Product Safety Commission authorized the study after receiving reports of more than 1,100 incidents, including 73 infant deaths between January 2005 and June 2019.
Read more at webmd.com
