Alert over baby slings as over one million recalled

THE NATIONAL Consumer Agency has issued advice on the safe use of baby slings following the recall of more than one million slings in the US and Canada .

Yesterday’s recall involved Infantino “SlingRider” and “Wendy Bellissimo” slings following claims linking them to three child deaths.

The consumer agency said it was still trying to establish if the slings were sold here. One of Dublin’s biggest baby product stores, Tony Kealys, said it didn’t stock them.

An estimated 10,000 were sold to UK retailers. It is possible that Irish consumers could have purchased them abroad, or from online stores. SlingRiders were for sale on websites such as Amazon.com and eBay.

Consumer agency director of commercial practices John Shine said the agency was engaging with Infantino and baby supplies retailers in Ireland to determine if these products were on sale here.

In the meantime, the agency advised baby sling users to ensure the infant’s face was not covered and was always visible. “Make sure your baby carrier doesn’t obstruct your baby’s airway. This is especially important for newborns, as the carrier’s fabric might block their nose and mouth and compromise their ability to breathe.”

Earlier this month, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a broad warning about sling-style baby carriers, saying they posed a potential suffocation risk to infants, especially babies under four months.

Babies who had a low birth weight, were born prematurely or had breathing problems such as colds were also at risk.

The safety commission said the sling’s fabric could press against a baby’s nose and mouth and cause suffocation. The slings could also cause the baby’s head to flop forward and restrict breathing.

At the time, the commission said it was investigating at least 14 deaths in the last 20 years associated with baby slings.

Baby experts and breast-feeding advocates said carriers that kept a newborn baby solidly against the mother’s body in an upright position were safe. – Additional reporting: AP