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FAQ Regarding SIDS Prevention and Mattress Wrapping
In a word, no. ALL mattresses should be wrapped with a BabeSafe mattress cover. Mattresses cannot be certified to be free from phosphorus, arsenic, and antimony, and these alternative mattresses are simply more expensive with no additional guarantee to prevent toxic gases.
You should dress your baby according to the temperature. If it is cold outside, the babies room should not be heated above 65 degrees. Bundle your baby in enough layers for him to sleep comfortably, and swaddle your baby if he prefers it, with a cotton blanket. While polyester blankets are not to be used, diapers or sleepers made of polyester fabric are safe to use. This is because these items are laundered after use, preventing the build up of fungus. During warmer months, dress your baby lightly. If she prefers swaddling, wrap her with a cotton knit blanket over a diaper.
For SIDS prevention it is NOT necessary to use organic cotton. Launder all baby bedding well, before use. Organic cotton is nice to use for other environmental reasons, but do not stress over this if it is out of your budget. Your baby's bedding should be 100% cotton, including blanket (we use flannel) and underblanket (the fabric that goes between mattress cover and fitted sheet). We used a regular cotton bath towel for our underblanket and it worked wonderfully. Also remember to wash all of your baby's clothes before use. This may sound weird, but you would not believe the number of people who put unwashed, brand new clothing on their newborns. If this is you, please wash the clothes first! New fabric has chemicals on it like formaldehyde.
After 15 years of use, the mattress cover has proven it's safety and effectiveness. You may be learning of this information for the first time, and perhaps it's difficult to grasp that others have been practicing mattress wrapping for over a decade. Not only is the "plastic" sheeting completely safe, it is MUCH safer than unwrapped mattresses.
There are a number of reasons, but I will try to explain two. First, fire retardants were added to mattresses because government regulations required them. The elements used as fire retardants are the same elements that the fungus consumes, generating the toxic nerve gas. If our government, or any other government for that matter, were to admit that toxic gases were the cause of crib death, it opens up a can of worms that they are not willing to open up. In the UK, these elements were quietly removed from the manufacturing process and I would not be surprised to see the same thing happening in the US. Second, oddly enough, are the SIDS organizations themselves. SIDS organizations not only receive donations from parents of SIDS babies, they also receive federal funding for SIDS research. In order to keep the funds coming, and the "mystery" of SIDS on-going, it is in their best interest to ignore or attempt to nullify the toxic gas theory. There are doctors out there who know about, support, and explain the toxic gas theory to new moms. But the numbers need to increase greatly if we are going to eradicate SIDS completely. If your doctor does not know about the toxic gas theory, please send us his/her mailing address and we will send information as soon as possible. We especially need to reach doctors in lower socioeconomic areas and African-American communities since the crib death rates are higher for these groups. One other reason I want to mention briefly is the stigma of parents discussing the toxic gas theory with other parents who laugh at them. Many parents buy the mattress cover "just in case," without really putting themselves out there because of the embarrassment they might face. So generally, word doesn't spread fast. Since doctors are not educated about it, SIDS organizations are suppressing it, and the AAP ignores it, why would parents want to stand up to other uneducated parents who will make a mockery out of them? We will gladly send information to your friends and family (anonymously, of course) if you provide us with their mailing addresses and names. For those of you bold enough to help your friends understand the toxic gas theory, we appreciate your efforts!
Absolutely not. The same elements in babies' mattresses are also found in adult mattresses. Bed sharing poses an additional risk of overlaying, smothering, suffocation, and entrapment. We recommend using a co-sleeper with a wrapped mattress next to your adult bed.
There are other steps you can take, outside of wrapping your baby's mattress in a BabeSafe mattress cover. For instance:
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