I always get really excited when I learn about a new baby/child product that has been created by an actual parent to sort out a problem they've encountered because that's always the sign that it will be a really well thought out and useful product. The Safe Dreams Cot Wrap, marketed as the safe alternative to cot bumpers, falls into that category. New mum Louise Guinda was horrified to find her baby son in his cot with his face squashed up against the cot bumpers turning a horrible shade of blue. Removing them brought about a whole new set of problems though, as he woke up several times a night with his arms or legs stuck through the bars of the cot. Louise therefore set about filling a hole in the market for a breathable version of cot bumpers.
When the girls were babies, cot bumpers were still accepted as part of a baby's nursery equipment so when Pierre was born, I wasn't sure whether to drag them back out or not. I'd never had any problems with either of the girls using them but was aware that many health experts now advise against using traditional quilted cot bumpers because of the potential dangers involved - either the risk of suffocation or because of the strings. As you can see in the photo above, I did eventually decide to use them while Pierre was small, but they started to sag and the ties started to get broken and Pierre started trying to use the bumpers to climb on. Definitely time to remove them.
With perfect timing, Louise put a call-out for bloggers to try out a Safe Dreams Cot Wrap so I waved my hand excitedly in the air and sat back to wait for the postman ! It's basically a very long strip of breathable fabric with velcro strips on either end that you can weave in and out of and wrap around the cot bars to hold it in place without any dangerous strings. I found it a bit hard to find the best way of threading it through the bars (which ones and how many) but with a bit of trial and error, we managed to get it relatively tight and firmly in place.
The material is totally breathable so there is no risk of suffocation and also allows the air to flow in and out of the cot, therefore avoiding overheating. Overheating, re-breathing of exhaled air and lack of oxygen are apparently all risk factors which have been associated with SIDS (cot death) so that's good to know.
They're a bit plain and look almost clinical so I'd like to see brighter colours and maybe some attractive prints to rival the traditional cot bumpers (they're currently available in ivory, pink or blue). My one gripe would be that they tend to slip down the sides to the very bottom of the bars so, when you take into account the thickness of the cot mattress, there's not a great deal of cot wrap that can be seen above the level of the mattress. There is enough to stop baby's dummy falling out of the cot or their arms and legs poking through the gaps though and if Pierre tries to use the cot wrap to climb on, he's not getting anywhere fast ! I think this issue might also be solved if the cot is on the highest (newborn) level, whereas Pierre is older so his bed is at the lowest setting.
But the safety aspect totally outweighs these slight negatives and, for my own piece of mind, I'm much happier using the Safe Dreams. It's also machine washable and quick-drying and is available in two or four-sided versions depending on the cot.
star rating : 4/5
RRP : £29.99
for more information : http://www.safedreams.co.uk/index.php
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What a fanastic idea, my DS (6m) pulls and plats with his bumper and I do wonder how safe this is. I think I need to look into getting one of these.
ReplyDeleteGreat review as always, thanks
very practical item
ReplyDeletelooks a good idea!
ReplyDelete