Is It Safe For Newborns To Sleep On A Nursing Pillow?

Just walk into any baby mega store, and you can easily become overwhelmed with all of the gadgets and gizmos that are available for babies. For over 25 years, one of the most popular items for babies and their moms has been the nursing pillow. This crescent shape pillow has been used to help parents all over the world comfortably breast and bottle feed their babies. But one question parents are now asking is, "is it safe for newborns to sleep on a nursing pillow?"

The answer is a clear no. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that no pillows of any kind should be used in cribs. Unfortunately, what is a convenient nursing tool for parents can become a death trap for babies. this convenient nursing

In 2015, ABC 27 News in central Pennsylvania reported that the local coroner attributed three infant deaths to the misuse of crescent-shaped pillows. "The baby could slide down, and if the baby slides down, its airway can be cut off," Wendy O'Shea director of Cribs for Kids with Pinnacle Health warned ABC 27. "The baby could accidentally roll, and even if it just rolls on its side its airway can be cut off.”

Good Housekeeping reported that Graham Hetrick was the coroner in each of the Pennsylvania infant death cases. After performing autopsies and x-rays, he concluded that each of the deaths was caused by cerebral asphyxia, or lack of oxygen to the brain. Hetrick told reporters at PennLive that parents of all the babies had been using the same type of crescent-shaped pillow in their cribs or bassinets, and the babies may have been napping on them. Hetrick advised anyone using these kinds of pillows to keep the baby under observation and not allow them to nap on the pillows.

To ensure your babies safety, it is best to move them to a proper sleeping area should they fall asleep during a breast feeding session.