Parents of infants have been crying out to me to ask if there are sleep products for their baby they should avoid buying or being given because they might be unsafe.

I don’t want to baby the importance of this topic — so let me provide some information.

Unsafe baby products for sleep are ones that can lead to injury or even worse unintentional suffocation or sudden infant death syndrome.

In addition to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommending babies sleep alone on a sleep surface that is firm and flat, in 2022, Congress passed the Safe Sleep Act banning the sale of crib bumpers and infant sleep incliners in the United States.

Both products were initially thought to improve the sleep environment by propping babies up or protecting them in their crib from falling out.

Sadly, these devices do just the opposite. Sleep incliners that prop a baby up at a greater than 10-degree angle in their first few months of life can lead to an infant’s floppy head and chin falling to their chest and in some cases result in airway obstruction and unnecessary infant deaths.

Similarly, crib bumpers designed to prevent a baby from falling between the slats in a crib can result in a baby’s face going up against the soft bumper and can result in suffocation.

Other products like baby loungers, with soft and plush sleep surfaces or sides, still found in some stores, were not designed or marketed for babies to nap in, and yet babies can fall asleep in these devices with their faces being up against the soft surface on a lounger and again increase their risk for suffocation.

Weighted blankets are another product that should never be used on a baby since gentle pressure on a baby’s chest or body can inhibit breathing and make it difficult to get out of an unsafe sleeping position.

Baby swings are fine when the baby is awake but if a baby falls asleep, their head can flop forward or get entangled in the straps. If your baby does fall asleep in an infant swing or lounger, move your baby to a safe sleep surface right away.

Hopefully, tips like these will allow you and your baby to breathe more easily when it comes to making sure unsafe sleep products are not being used for your baby.

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Lewis First, MD, is Chief of Pediatrics at The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine. You can also catch “First with Kids” weekly on WOKO 98.9FM and NBC5.