Nursery World - New cot death study disputed

Parents and carers have been told it doesn't matter what kind of cot mattress is used for a baby or whether it is new or second-hand, as long as it is clean and firm and shows no signs of deterioration. The advice was given by the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) following publication of a report in the British Medical Journal last week warning that used baby mattresses may be associated with a greater risk of cot deaths.

The advice was given by the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) following publication of a report in the British Medical Journal last week warning that used baby mattresses may be associated with a greater risk of cot deaths.

A team at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow studied 131 babies who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and 278 healthy babies of the same age. They found that the routine use of a cot mattress previously used by another baby was 'significantly associated' with an increased risk of cot death, especially if the mattress came from a different home. They concluded that there was 'a valid statistical association between SIDS and use of an infant mattress previously used by another child'.

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