Warning on Sleep Positioners

Since we teach Infant Care and Infant CPR, we often get the question about whether or not infant sleep positioners are safe. This came into our inbox this week and we felt important enough to share.

This past week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned consumers to stop using infant sleep positioners. There are two primary types of infant sleep positioners: flat mats with side bolsters or inclined (wedge) mats with side bolsters. Manufacturers of both types typically claim that their products help keep infants on their backs and reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). However, the FDA has never cleared an infant sleep positioner to prevent or reduce the risk of SIDS, and CPSC and FDA are unaware of any scientific studies to support this claim.

For more information, including photos of infant sleep positioners, go to http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10358.html. Consumers can report a problem with an infant sleep positioner through the FDA’s MedWatch program at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/HowToReport/default.htm or with the CPSC at https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx.

Source: Judy Meehan, CEO Maternal-Infant Health News,