Yes, Quality Baby Slings are Safe!

There's been an explosion of news coverage the last few days about the CPSC's published warning about baby's deaths in slings.  To be clear, I don't disagree at all with their warning - as long as we're clear on the specific type of sling they're referring to - a bag sling, Infantino brand being an example, is not a good way to carry your baby for several reasons. CPSC even shows brief diagrams of safe vs. unsafe sling positioning. 

Their warning seems to discourage people from using slings prior to four months of age.  But these first few months out of the womb are exactly when baby needs to be close to mom, feel her warmth, hear her heartbeat, smell her milk.  Yes, of course parents need to be educated about anything that could cause a baby's death. 

HOWEVER, there are many quality baby slings and carriers on the market that keep your baby close to you and in a safe position, and babywearing experts and educators that can show you how to properly and safely use slings.

For instance, here's an explanatory video from Sakura Bloom on how to put baby in a sling correctly:



You can also see this example from Wallypop of how to correctly position a baby in a sling lying down. 

As a friend pointed out recently, there have been many, many recalls on cribs.  But it hasn't made the public decide that all cribs are unsafe.  (There's a whole other topic...)

So please, be sure you are using a good quality, highly recommended carrier.  And be sure you are using it correctly.  But if those things are true, DON'T let anyone make you think your baby is unsafe!  Use the opportunity to explain that only one specific type of sling has been warned against, and explain the benefits of using a good baby sling correctly!