Is It Safe To Let A 10 Month Old Sleep With A Stuffed Animal

Keep soft toys out of the sleeping environment for babies under seven months of age because they may embrace the nose and oral cavity and interfere with breathing.

The risk posed by suffocation by the presence of soft objects in the baby's sleeping environment outweighs any benefit to the babe from a soft toy. It is therefore advised not to place soft toys and other soft objects in the cot for babies under seven months of age.

Seven-month-old babies are more likely to explore objects in their sleeping environments than younger babies. Some babies over seven months of age may capeesh a small object such as a soft toy to provide condolement and connection (transitional object^one) during times of separation from their parent.

ane. Transitional objects, such as soft toys are created by the baby to 'build an illusion' to correspond mother and all that mother represents. The object signifies that the baby has moved from a sense of his/herself merged with female parent, to being a carve up private. Source: Mahalski, PA, Silva PA, and Spears GFS. (1985) Children'due south Attachment to Soft Objects at Bedtime, Child Rearing, and Kid Development. Journal of the American Academy of Kid Psychiatry, 24, 442-46.

Soft toys and babies under twelve months of historic period

Soft toys should never be placed in the sleeping environment of an baby under seven months of historic period. Soft objects in the cot tin can be a suffocation risk. Physiological studies point that facial obstruction by soft bedding may pb to complete airway obstruction, and/or hyperthermia,¹ and/or accidental suffocation past rebreathingⁱⁱ. Current enquiry supports baby prophylactic guidelines to ensure that quilts, doonas, duvets, pillows, lambskins, soft toys and cot bumpers are non in the infant sleeping environment. The American University of Pediatrics³ recommends that soft surfaces and gas trapping objects, such as soft toys and lamb skins, be avoided in an babe'south sleeping environment. Pillow-like objects have the potential for asphyxiation and have been used as a prop to go along babies on the side, and infants have subsequently rolled onto their stomachs^iv. The prone position significantly increases the risk of sudden and unexpected babe death, including SIDS. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recorded the expiry of a iv-calendar month-quondam associated with prone sleeping position involving the closure of the child's airway by a stuffed toy. Soft toys can human activity in a similar way as a pillow⁵.

In that location have been cases of asphyxia in cots cluttered with soft toys and where an infant has slipped out of the sleeping environment onto toys and clothes placed near to the cot⁶. Modest toys, toy parts and toys on strings are a major cause of asphyxial fatalities acquired past accidental suffocation and strangulation in babies and choking episodes in young children^seven. Toys which are hung beyond the cot should exist removed once the child can push on easily and knees or is 5 months of historic period; whichever comes primeval⁸. Toys can colonise infection when used for babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units or Special Care Baby Units⁹. Parents and other carers are advised to keep soft toys out of the sleeping environment for babies under seven months of age equally they may comprehend the nose and mouth and interfere with animate.

Soft toys for comfort and connexion (transitional object) during times of separation from their parent for babies over seven months of historic period

Between eight and nine months of age babies brainstorm to become enlightened of the separation between themselves and the parent effigy. At this time babies may appreciate a pocket-sized object such as a soft toy to provide comfort and connection during times of separation. Use of transitional objects however, is not universal and is influenced by cultural and socioeconomic differences^1,ten-xi maternal personality and female parent-babe interactions¹². Child rearing practices involving high contact e.g. breastfeeding, feeding on the babies' cue, co-sleeping, and property the child during the transition to slumber are associated with lower use of transitional objects¹³ . Younger babies are more likely to cocky sooth with a dummy or pacifier, and older babies are more likely to use a soft object. Seven month erstwhile babies are more than likely to explore objects in their sleeping environments than younger babies¹⁴.

Studies examining children'due south attachments to various classes of objects¹⁰ found that strong attachment to blankets is rare around 3 months (viii%), peaks at 18 and 24 months (32%), stays about this high level through 39 months, and diminishes steadily to 8% through 63 months. Consistent with these findings, Busch and colleagues found that attachment to blankets and cloths typically appears before 12 months of age while attachment to soft toys or stuffed animals appears around eighteen months or later^fifteen.

Babies under six months of age practise not engaged in exploring objects in their sleeping environment and are developmentally too young to take comfort from a toy or object to aid them manage whatsoever separation from female parent¹⁵.

Even an object every bit tactile every bit the security blanket does not accept to be touched; visual contact lonely evokes its soothing effects¹⁰.

On balance of the current evidence, the risk of suffocation posed by the presence of soft toys or objects in the baby's sleeping environment outweighs any benefit to the baby from the presence of a transitional object in the cot. It is therefore advised not place soft toys and other soft objects in the cot for babies nether seven months of historic period.

The Red Nose Safe Sleeping program is based on scientific evidence and was developed by Australian SUDI researchers, paediatricians, pathologists, and kid health experts with input from overseas experts in the field. The 85% drop in sudden unexpected deaths in infancy and the ix,967 lives that take been saved is testament to the effectiveness of the program.

For further information phone us on 1300 998 698.

Suggested citation:

Cerise Nose. National Scientific Advisory Grouping (NSAG). 2013. Information Statement: Soft toys in the cot. Melbourne, Scarlet Nose. This information argument was first posted in April, 2013.

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Concluding modified: nineteen/iii/xviii

Source: https://rednose.org.au/article/soft-toys-in-the-cot

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