The arrival of a new born baby is a time of safety concern for parents. They need to ensure that they have the correct type of safety capsule to even bring their new son or daughter home from the hospital. Choosing a safe cot is also beset with worries. Some popular designs have been criticised for dangers posed in trapping their occupants. Each decision requires careful research to keep baby safe.
One thing that strikes fear into new parents is SIDS - Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Why some babies die without an apparent cause is still not fully understood by medical science but there are a lot of practices that have been proven to help preventing that happening. There is copious advice on sleeping positions and the type of covering that may prevent SIDS.
Recently, a method popular in past centuries has regained popularity and what was known as "Swaddling " is on the increase. This consists of firmly wrapping the child in an outer cloth to restrict limb movements. It is claimed that this enables baby to "settle "quickly for a nights sleep in what is seen as a "cocoon ".
Some sections of the medical profession are sounding the alarm that swaddling is producing a condition known as "clicky hips ". That in medical terminology is known as " Dysplasia of the Hip " or DDH. When the child progresses to the walking stage it requires surgery and braces to correct.
Doctors specialising in child care warn that it is important that babies have the freedom to to bend their legs in a " frog like " position and turn them outwards. Young bones are still flexible and restricting movement can do permanent damage.
What is worrying is the speed with which the garment industry has seized on this return of swaddling to rush off the shelf cocoon garments into stores that service the infant trade. In the hope of keeping SIDS at bay, swaddling is being presented as an option without warning of the danger that this form of limb restriction may cause.
The fact that swaddling cloths are being freely advertised and presented in baby apparel stores will be seen by some mothers of validation that this is now an approved practice. Even as this early stage the medical profession has noticed a sharp increase in children presenting with problems that are clearly" clicky hips ".
Just as advertising has been the main weapon in promoting child vaccinations against a cult making spurious claims against their safety, ultra tight swaddling needs warnings before it becomes a fad that works against the good health of infants.
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