A celebrity-backed ‘designer’ baby cot trend could risk infants breaking limbs and even suffocating, a top midwife has warned.
The new social media fad involves parents decorating their newborns’ cots with an array of pillows, plush toys and blankets.
Bumpers – lengths of padded fabric designed to wrap around the side of a crib to stop babies’ feet from getting stuck in the bars – are another popular addition.
Videos advertising baby cot accessories on TikTok have been viewed millions of times. And the trend has some high-profile advocates, including social media influencer Khloe Kardashian – the sister of Kim Kardashian – who has more than 300million followers.
In 2018, Khloe shared pictures on Instagram of her four-month-old daughter True’s crib, which contained a Hermes blanket, a large teddy bear and a collection of pillows.
But midwife Clare Byam-Cook, who regularly provides new mothers with health advice on TV and radio, fears that parents following the trend may unwittingly be putting their babies in danger.
‘There shouldn’t be anything in the cot aside from a blanket – anything else is unnecessary and could pose a danger to the baby,’ she says.
‘Anything that’s loose could trap the baby and pose a suffocation risk, as well as anything that has strings that could come undone and be within their reach.
The Lullaby Trust, a charity providing advice on safer sleep for babies, says parents should keep cots completely clear other than a lightweight bedsheet, and that unnecessary items increase the risk of accidents and death
‘Parents no doubt mean well but it’s not a risk worth taking if it puts your child in danger.’
The warning comes after a west London coroner last week issued an urgent statement about the dangers of trendy baby slings, after the death of an infant.
Six-week-old Jimmy Alderman was being breastfed in a ‘hands-free’ baby carrier by his mother as she walked around their home when he slipped too far down the sling and suffocated.
Coroner Lydia Brown criticised the lack of safety information for parents around baby slings and called for better industry standards. Experts say similar warnings should be issued to stop parents from filling cots with potentially dangerous items.
The Lullaby Trust, a charity providing advice on safer sleep for babies, says parents should keep cots completely clear other than a lightweight bedsheet, and that unnecessary items increase the risk of accidents and death.
Research suggests a crowded cot can also increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome – also known as cot death – which kills nearly 200 babies in the UK every year.
But this hasn’t stopped a growing number of parents cramming cots with designer products.
Videos of cribs decorated with pillows and toys have become hugely popular on TikTok, often being shared tens of thousands of times
A TikTok post showing a crib decorated with a pink canopy and matching pillows and throws
One TikTok from a company selling accessories, viewed more than 122,000 times, shows a cot with a baby mobile dangling so low the strings could brush the baby’s face. The risk – particularly with mobiles bought online – is that pieces could come loose, explains Ms Byam-Cook.
‘It’s the same with any baby toys. If you’re buying them on the internet you have no guarantee that bits won’t come off that the baby could choke on,’ she says.
In another video, viewed almost 40,000 times, a US babycare influencer shows her two-month-old baby in a small cot filled with pillows, bumpers and a baby mobile dangling just within its grasp.
‘Mommies, if you were planning to buy a crib, make sure you buy this hanging toy as well,’ she says. ‘It’s been a great help to me. They love to watch it at this age.’
And in a third, similar video viewed more than 70,000 times, another influencer equips a cot with bumpers, a pillow and duvet.
Experts say one of the most common mistakes parents make is putting pillows in a cot. ‘You definitely shouldn’t have pillows in the crib as it’s a suffocation risk,’ says Ms Byam-Cook.
‘Babies don’t need pillows, nor do toddlers. You’re just adding to the risk that they roll over on to their face and are unable to turn themselves back over.’
The same goes for bumpers. Parents often worry their baby will get a leg or arm stuck between the bars of their cot, but if they do, they can either free themselves or cry out, alerting parents to sort things out.
Bumpers, though sold as a way to prevent this, can actually worsen the problem, as they make it more difficult for an infant to free themselves when wedged between the bars and fabric.
‘There’s also the risk that the baby will slip down between the bumper and the mattress and suffocate, as well as the potential that they get their head tangled up
in any loose cords holding it in place and strangle themselves,’ says Ms Byam-Cook.
She adds that the same applies for heavy blankets – even when placed on the railings of the cot. ‘Even just a muslin shouldn’t be left draped on the side of the baby’s bed in case the baby gets tangled up and suffocates.’
However, parents should still ensure their baby is warm enough when they put them down for bed.
Ms Byam-Cook explains: ‘On the other hand, some parents are so afraid of using blankets and duvets for fear of the baby suffocating that they are being put to sleep without enough layers on.
‘A bulkier sleeping suit may be the solution, or just making sure any blanket used is very tightly tucked under the baby so they can’t slip under. It can be a minefield – but if you err on the side of caution, your baby should be fine.’