“Cosy Nests” are not safe sleep spaces!
Most parents’ thoughts are haunted at times by the possibility of their baby dying due to SUDI (Sudden Unexpected Death in infants) or SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Many preventative measures can be easily put in place to minimise the risk of such a terrible event, starting with providing a safe sleeping environment for baby.
Despite safe sleep messaging provided to the public by “Red Nose” for decades, misconceptions and unsafe practices among parents and caregivers persist, with potentially tragic consequences. Some products available on the market appeal to the mistaken belief that infants need/enjoy a soft sleep surface to be comfortable and cosy, and a seemingly endless variety of softly padded nests and pods (often used instead of bassinets) are offered for young infants in stores and online.
Unlike infant cots, there is no Australian safety standard for bassinets, so not all products on the market are safe.
As a midwife/lactation consultant I see examples of these padded nests in almost every home I visit. They are frequently positioned elevated on a couch or bed or sometimes inside a cot, which the attentive and nurturing parents feel is safe because the baby is well supervised. Even if parents only intend to use the nest when baby is awake, sleep often follows and baby is left undisturbed. Unfortunately, sleep accidents (by suffocation) HAVE happened in Australia in these soft padded nests.
Safe sleep arrangements, including safe co-sleeping, is discussed in Topic 1 of “New Baby 101 – A Midwife’s Guide for New Parents”. There are portable baby beds available which are not softly padded and have a fitted flat mattress, which can also be used for safe co-sleeping – here is one example:
Visit the Red Nose Safe Sleep Advice Hub for more information and follow this guide to help make safer choices for your baby https://rednose.org.au/article/bassinets
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