According to a review of data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, from 1990 to 2004, 53 babies died suddenly and unexpectedly in bassinets.
According to Drs. Jodi Pike and Rachel Y. Moon of Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., the cause of death in 85 percent of the cases was lack of oxygen.
Pike and Moon in their analysis of these deaths, also found that more than one third of the babies had been placed on their stomachs and one half was found on their stomachs.
In 74 percent of cases, items such as blankets [Baby Blanket], pillows, and plastic bags were found in the bassinets.
Nine infants died in bassinets that were not functioning correctly, either from misuse or mechanical problems.
According to a 2007 study, bassinets are most often used in the first 2 months of life, when more than 45 percent of infants sleep in bassinets.
Between 1992 and 2000, the percentage of infants sleeping in bassinets doubled, to almost 20 percent, Pike and Moon note in a study published in The Journal of Pediatrics.
“The risk of sudden unexpected death in infants [infant death] who sleep in bassinets can be reduced by following American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines,” they write, including placing infants to sleep on their backs on a firm surface and keeping the bassinet free of blankets, pillows and other items.
More information at Reuters
