Why Your Infant Needs a Firm Baby Mattress

Firm Baby Mattress

Is your baby’s crib mattress firm enough?  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends babies should be put to sleep on their back on a firm baby mattress. 

Want more information on crib mattresses?  Visit,  Baby Mattress for Crib – Information from the Professionals

BUT HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR BABY’S CRIB MATTRESS IS FIRM ENOUGH TO KEEP THEM SAFE?

Australia/New Zealand firmness testing

The SafeSleep® crib mattress is the only crib mattress in the United States that has been tested and passes the Australia/New Zealand standard 8811.1:2013 – Method 1: Sleep surfaces—Test for firmness. 

This test is the only standard to formally address the issue of minimum safe firmness for all crib mattresses.  This test can also be applied to bassinets and pack and play mattresses. Don’t you want reassurance your baby’s crib mattress is firm enough?

Want more information on crib mattress firmness?  Check out Firm Crib Mattress – The Truth Please

Issues with safe sleep recommendations

Putting your baby to sleep on their back is not always enough.  We all know babies will eventually roll over.  Your baby will begin to roll around four months when SIDS rates are highest.  The SafeSleep® completely breathe-through crib mattress allows a baby who is lying face straight down to breathe normally through their mattress.  

False assurance

Many pediatricians give parents false assurances that once their baby can roll, they “should be fine”  

Scientific research tells us differently.  According to a recent study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, infants who are placed on their back and roll to their tummy for the first time have a 20% increased risk of SIDS/asphyxia.  These rates are even higher for babies who are swaddled.  

According to published research, death of infants found on their tummy on a fiber filled crib mattress continue to occur.  Why? We have no way to prevent these infants from rolling. 

Once your infant rolls, even the firmest crib mattress is might not be enough to keep them safe.

Air permeable crib mattress testing

Recent testing conducted by both International SIDS/SUID experts and the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s accredited research scientists, prove air permeable crib mattresses are safer than crib mattresses containing fiber fill and other core materials.  Air permeable/breathe-through crib mattresses prevent CO2 rebreathing and air way obstruction.  SIDS is believed to be caused by “rebreathing.”  

These studies were conducted using a firm crib mattress as a comparison.  Even through the firm crib mattress passed the recommended “crib mattress being firm enough” test, they were shown to retain high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2).  CO2 can be very dangerous to a sleeping baby.  

The test data on the air permeable “breathe-through” crib mattresses by SafeSleep® has been reviewed by several neonatologists and SIDS researchers.  These include Dr William Fox, Medical Director of the Infant Breathing Disorder Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, SIDS expert Dr. James Kemp, Co-Director of the Sleep Laboratory at St. Louis Children’s Hospital; and physiologist Dr. Thomas H. Shaffer, Director of the Center for Pediatric Lung Research at Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. 

All these professionals agree the data on the SafeSleep® breathe-through crib mattress is sound and compelling. 

The SafeSleep® infant mattress significantly reduces the risk of rebreathing of CO2.  This data supports earlier peer-reviewed publications demonstrating lower CO2 accumulation on air permeable mattresses when compared to fiber filled mattresses.  The fiber filled crib mattresses were considered to be firm. 

Conclusion

Even though the AAP recommends a firm crib mattress, incidences of SIDS continues to occur.  We simply cannot stop baby’s from rolling over in the middle of the night.  So to keep your baby safe, you need a crib mattress they can breathe through and eliminates the risk of rebreathing.

Find out why firm crib mattresses can play havoc on your baby’s delicate bones.

 

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