Nursery World - Shops fail to warn of risks for cot death

Many baby products shops are inadvertently undermining lifesaving advice on reducing the risk of cot death, claims the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID). The charity's 'secret shopper' survey of the marketing practices of shops selling baby products in England, Wales and Northern Ireland found that just over two-thirds (67 per cent) of them failed to ensure display cots were made up showing the 'feet to foot' position, with blankets tucked in so they reach no higher than a baby's shoulders to prevent the infant wriggling down under the covers. Almost six in ten (59 per cent) shops marketed duvets and quilts without warning that they were not to be used for babies less than a year old.

The charity's 'secret shopper' survey of the marketing practices of shops selling baby products in England, Wales and Northern Ireland found that just over two-thirds (67 per cent) of them failed to ensure display cots were made up showing the 'feet to foot' position, with blankets tucked in so they reach no higher than a baby's shoulders to prevent the infant wriggling down under the covers. Almost six in ten (59 per cent) shops marketed duvets and quilts without warning that they were not to be used for babies less than a year old.

The FSID described the support among retailers and manufacturers of baby bedding for its Reduce the Risk campaign as 'generally disappointing'.

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