There have been some devastating stories of home accidents that have resulted in tragedy for many families, and experts have this week sent out a fresh warning relating to cot safety.
Following the publication of new statistics showing that there are more deaths from cot bumpers than previously thought, there have been fresh calls for parents to stop using the popular cot accessory.
For those of you who aren’t sure what a cot bumper is, it is essentially a piece of fabric-covered foam that is set around the perimeter of the cot to prevent your little one from hitting and hurting their head.
According to research published in The Journal of Paediatrics this week however, it has emerged that cot bumpers have been implicated in more infant deaths than previously thought.
Indeed, researchers found that deaths blamed on blankets, pillows or stuffed animals could actually be blamed solely on cot bumpers – and the death toll was actually triple the figure once recorded in the States.
Factors behind these tragedies include the bumpers containing design flaws, not being tied correctly or having loose stuffing.
Commenting on the findings, and urging parents to watch out for new or ‘improved’ versions of cot bumpers, lead study author Bradley Thach said: “Crib bumpers serve no purpose.”
