by Claudia Boyd-Barrett posted in Parenting

Don?t use infant sleep positioners. They?re dangerous and can cause babies to suffocate.
That?s the message from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which this month reiterated a warning to parents that sleep positioners have been tied to deaths of babies.
Sometimes called ?nests? or ?anti-roll? products, sleep positioners typically consist of raised foam supports or ?bolsters? attached to either side of a mat, or a wedge that lifts a baby?s head. They?re supposed to keep babies in a specific position while they sleep. Some manufacturers even claim the positioners help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), but the FDA said the opposite is true.
 
The FDA said it?s received reports of babies dying after falling asleep on sleep positioners, usually after rolling from their sides to their stomachs. In 2010, the FDA reported 12 babies had died after suffocating while using a sleep positioner. Almost 4,000 newborns die from SIDS each year, including from accidental suffocation. Instead of using sleep positioners, follow the American Academy of Pediatrics advice on reducing the risk of SIDS:
? Put your baby to sleep on his back
? Put your baby on a firm sleeping surface, never on a couch or other plush environment
? Keep your baby?s sleeping area free of pillows, blankets, loose sheets, comforters, toys and other soft objects. The area should be bare.
? Sleep in the same room ? but not in the same bed ? as y...