Letters
Child health
Volume 187 - Issue 1

Lack of consistency in safe-sleeping messages to parents

Authors:  Roger W Byard, Glenda Cains, Helen Noblet and Maxine Weber

Med J Aust 2007; 187 (1): 62. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01134.x
Published online: 2 July 2007
Download PDF (893 KB)
Share: Share on Blue Sky Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share by email

To the Editor: V-shaped pillows (“tri-pillows”) may cause suffocation of an infant left to sleep between the two arms of the pillow when he or she slips into the crevice between the arms, or beneath the pillow. The deaths of two infants who died in this manner were reported in South Australia in 1997, and a third death was the subject of a coronial inquiry.1,2 In 1998, the SA State Coroner recommended that “a public warning be issued against the use of tri- or U-shaped pillows by infants under two years of age for sleeping”.2 This message has also been issued in subsequent safe-sleeping campaigns, with a statement in the SIDS and Kids national “Safe sleeping” brochure that “tri-pillows are too soft and can cover baby’s face”, and a statement on the SA Child and Youth Health website that “. . . babies should not be left in these pillows while they are sleeping”.4 Despite these clear messages, deaths continue to occur in SA,5 and V-shaped pillows are still being sold in the foyer of a local obstetric hospital. Although the pillows are being promoted to assist breastfeeding, infants who have been left to sleep on them will be exposed to the risk of suffocation.

Deaths of infants in shared sleeping situations may also occur due to suffocation from “overlaying”. However, parents are still being advised by health advice telephone enquiry services to sleep in the same bed with their children. This was the unequivocal message given to one of the authors (G C) when she recently telephoned for advice following the birth of her first child. No mention was made of the potential danger of suffocation if parents are physically large, intoxicated, sedated, or simply exhausted, or if the infant is placed between the parents under bedcovers.

It appears, despite clear evidence that certain sleeping situations are potentially dangerous for infants, as well as the widespread dissemination of this information in safe-sleeping literature, that certain organisations or individuals continue to give a contrary message. What hope do parents have of understanding these issues and making informed decisions to optimise the safety of their infant’s sleeping environment if they are exposed to such conflicting messages and advice? Perhaps another question to ask is, “What responsibility do organisations and employees bear if an infant dies as a result of parents following such advice or purchasing equipment such as a V-shaped pillow?”

Authors

  • Roger W Byard1
  • Glenda Cains2
  • Helen Noblet3
  • Maxine Weber4
  • 1. Discipline of Pathology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA.
  • 2. Forensic Science SA, Adelaide, SA.
  • 3. Kidsafe SA, Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide, SA.
  • 4. SIDS and Kids, Adelaide, SA.

Correspondence: roger.byard@adelaide.edu.au

References

View this article on Wiley Online Library

More like this

Child health Research 1 October 2026 Open Access

Barriers and Facilitators to Timely Detection and Optimal Management of Chronic Wet Cough in Aboriginal Children Across Australia From the Perspectives of Carers of Aboriginal Children: A Qualitative Study

Gloria T. Y. Lau, Pam Laird, Robyn Aitken, Melanie Barwick, Liam Bedford, Emily R. Bowden, Jamie Everingham, Angela Fuery, Reece Griffin, Neha Jain, Mina Kinghorn, Renae Knapp, Gabrielle B. McCallum, Peter Morris, Richard Norman, Peter C. Richmond, Aarti Saiganesh, Slade Sibosado, Cameron Taylor, Maree Toombs, Roz Walker, Joan Wilson, Anne B. Chang, André Schultz

Child health Research 30 September 2026 Open Access

Barriers and Facilitators to Timely Detection and Optimal Management of Chronic Wet Cough in Aboriginal Children Across Australia From the Perspective of Health Care Providers: A Qualitative Study

Gloria T. Y. Lau, Pamela Laird, Robyn Aitken, Melanie Barwick, Liam Bedford, Emily R. Bowden, Corey Dalton, Jamie Everingham, Angela Fuery, Reece Griffin, Neha Jain, Mina Kinghorn, Renae Knapp, Gabrielle B. McCallum, Peter Morris, Richard Norman, Peter C. Richmond, Aarti Saiganesh, Slade Sibosado, Maree Toombs, Roz Walker, Joan Wilson, Anne B. Chang, André Schultz

Child health Research 13 August 2026 Open Access

Watchful Waiting Compared With Immediate Antibiotics for Urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children With Uncomplicated Acute Otitis Media (WATCH): A Non-Inferiority Randomised Controlled Trial

Jennifer S. Reath, Hasantha Gunasekera, Sanja Lujic, Amanda J. Leach, Letitia Campbell, Robyn Walsh, Tim Usherwood, Geoffrey K. Spurling, Claudette A. Tyson, Deborah A. Askew, Kelvin Kong, Chelsea J. Watego, Peter Morris, Wendy Hu, Penelope A. Abbott

View more