S.I.D.S. – Sudden Infant Death Syndrome – ‘Cot Death’

Every parent is naturally concerned about the safety of their new-born, when using various baby products. The sad fact is that based on current statistics, for every 3,500 babies born, there will be one fatality, leaving the family devastated. The actual cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is not fully known.

There is much advice given against the use of baby positioners and pillows. The advice also includes that babies should lie on a firm, flat mattress surface.

The unexpected consequence of lying a baby on a firm, flat mattress, is that many babies do not settle sleeping and they may develop Plagiocephaly or Brachycephaly, better known as Flat Head Syndrome.

Flat Head Syndrome not only looks worrying for parents but has also been shown to affect a child’s performance later at school – not only in the classroom but in the playground also.

The SleepCurve mattress is neither a positioner nor a pillow. It is a mattress that is ergonomically shaped to allow the baby to be supported, allowing free movement of the baby’s head whilst being flat. The curve in the mattress provides a space for the protruding bulge at the back of every baby’s head, allowing the weight to be distributed evenly, therefore preventing flat head syndrome.

Other key features and benefits of the SleepCurve Mattress include:

• The curve naturally moves the baby’s chin away from the chest, thereby further opening the airways.
• Allows for the free rotation of the baby’s head and neck, even in one day old babies!
• There are heat dissipation channels on the surface of the mattress, to aid cooling of the baby – particularly important in hot bedrooms or hot climates.

The undisputed benefit of the SleepCurve mattress shape is that it protects your baby from developing Plagiocephaly or Brachycephaly (Flat Head Syndrome). It may also be used to help treat both of these conditions, by removing the pressure on a particular part of the baby’s head and thus allowing the self-correction process.

SleepCurve have been distributing mattresses in the UK and all over the world for the last 20 years. It is difficult to know accurately the numbers of babies that have used a SleepCurve mattress, certainly tens of thousands if not more, considering multiple usage.

To date (January 2020) there has NEVER been a single infant death reported on any of the SleepCurve products since sales began.

Why? We don’t really know but possible explanations of this very positive result are…

• SleepCurve mattresses allow the head to be tilted further back, therefore allowing the airways to be more open.
• SleepCurve mattresses have heat channels incorporated on their surface to help stop your baby over-heating.
• The shape of the main body of the SleepCurve Moses and Crib Mattresses is shaped longitudinally to conform to the baby’s rib cage – this reduces pressure on the ribs and facilitates chest movement to aid breathing.

We would welcome any other ideas from SleepCurve mattress users, with or without a medical background, as to any other possible explanations.

The SleepCurve team is currently looking into a medical study for the comparative oxygenation levels of a baby’s blood, to make a comparison between conventional flat mattresses and a SleepCurve mattress.