As a designer/owner/parent of an atypical crib, I have always wondered what safety tests standards or tests are used for baby hammocks. They all seem so squishy soft and slingy, not qualities I'd associate with lowered suffocation or SIDS risk.
And whaddya know, last month, the CPSC announced a recall of all Amby Baby Hammocks--around 24,000 have been sold in the US since 2003--after receiving reports of at least two infant deaths.
The CPSC warns that, "The side-to-side shifting or tilting of the hammock can cause the infant to roll and become entrapped or wedged against the hammock's fabric and/or mattress pad, resulting in a suffocation hazard."
So it's not just a mattress, but the fabric sides that pose a hazard? And don't all hammocks have fabric sides? Or does the Amby Baby have some particularly wide range of "side-to-side shifting or tilting"? Amby's offering a "free repair kit," but what could it solve that taking out the mattress doesn't? Health Canada apparently doesn't see any hope for safely repairing the hammocks; they're calling on consumers to dispose of Ambys to prevent their ever being used again.
I look at something like the Hushamok [l] or the Kanoe [r], and I can see how they might have less side-to-side shifting, but it's not immediately obvious that there's none, or that the Amby has so much more.
If only there were a Juvenile Hammocks Manufacturers Association, their spokeswoman might "reach out to me" and explain how infinitely and obviously safe these are, and why any deaths are due to incorrect use?
Infant Suffocation Deaths Prompt Recall of Amby Baby Motion Beds/Hammocks [cpsc.gov]
Oregon Man Files Lawsuit Over Defective Baby Hammock [insurancejournal.com via dt reader dt]
I can see how this happened. When a newborn moves and shifts, the hammock tilts and becomes weirdly lopsided, and the newbie is not strong enough yet to pull himself over.
I had an Amby and cranked up the fabric in back so that the hammock was always up and not flat. My son was also a large baby, so I never had a flop problem.
The problem with the Amby is that it hangs from one midpoint. Put a melon in it, and you'll see how the hammock sags one way.
You can always do what we do - use a Mayan hammock - it's all cotton netting, with no fabric to get wedged against.
We have a Hushamok. I went and swung it side to side, and the bottom of the hammock doesn't tilt to the side when the hammock swings like that. Also, because the bottom is only stiffened, not stiff, when a baby is in the hammock they weigh it down slightly so that they are sleeping in a very shallow trough. Not deep enough that they have the mattress in front of their faces if they turn their head to the side, but enough to discourage rolling.
I am no safety expert, but it's tough for me to see how this could happen in the Hushamok.
Both my kids used an Amby. We placed our infants between a positioner (it came with the hammock) to essentially immobilize the baby. When the positioner was outgrown, our kids fit snugly on their backs.
We discontinued use when our kids began attempting to roll over -- it was obvious because they would fight and fight to turn over, but were unable to, causing quite a verbal fuss over their imprisonment.
Anyhow, I'm interested to see what changes are made to the hammock. I'd like to read news reports surrounding the deaths to learn more about how they happened.
I spoke to Amby UK rep here and she said that sadly the parents had assembled the hammock cot incorrectly for both accidents.
How exactly was it incorrectly assembled? We keep on hearing that there was a fault, but it is unclear what that fault was. I would like to know so that we can stop other parents from commiting the same error.