tcha
09/29/09, 07:43 PM
Is it safe?
The question of safety has come to the forefront in recent years, with anecdotal reports of falls or injuries. Yet, there seems to be little recent research into the safety of the traditional baby hammocks.
It is possible that duyan have been dismissed as safe because many Filipino babies are constantly watched by parents, relatives, or other caregivers that accidents are more likely to be averted. The traditional use of baby hammocks is so common across South East Asia, but it doesn't negate the safety hazards that may come with it. A small 1997 Singapore study did document cases of head injuries in children who had fallen out of the them while they were sleeping, playing, or feeding. These children had been seen in the Accidents & Emergency Department, the General Neurosurgical Ward and in the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit. There were no fatalities but the study concluded that there is a potential for serious injuries.
Many health professionals and babycare experts now recommend against the use of the traditional hammocks. BabyCenter Malaysia's pediatrician Dr. Winston Yong says, "I always advise parents to be very careful about using the traditional hammocks as injuries can occur. I usually encourage letting baby sleep in a firm cot rather than anything else." Another BabyCenter adviser, antenatal and Parent Craft educator Jennifer Hor from Malaysia, is also adamant that sleeping in a traditional baby hammocks should not be encouraged. "There is not enough support for the baby's back and the baby's shoulders are always hunched. Then there are the safety aspects: The risk of falling off is very real and sometimes the hammock can be rocked too vigorously." This, in turn, increases the risk of baby falling out or being pushed against an adjacent wall. The KK Women's and Children's Hospital in Singapore, in its leaflet on child safety, warns that vigorous rocking can also lead to internal brain bleeding.
BabyCenter Philippines' pediatrician, Dra. Cynthia Castrillo, opines that the duyan is so widely accepted in Filipino culture and has been passed on from one generation to another that many parents blindly take these personal endorsements as approvals on safety. She warns, "Risks may be related to falls from either one or both of the opposite supports giving way, or when the baby tips over as he tries to move or roll over. There is also the risk of suffocating the baby if his weight pulls down too much on the loose ends of the fabric so as to swaddle him or envelop him in."
Dra. Castrillo also admonishes the way some parents reportedly rock the duyan with their feet, as it is harder to control pressure that way and it does not give a safe view or reach in case an accident may suddenly occur. Safety becomes an issue too with the choice of material: Some parents prefer material made of rope or fishnet with the belief that it is cooler, allows the back to "breathe", and gives a better view of the baby despite the risk of the spaces in between becoming even wider over time, causing a potential risk for the baby to fall off from or at least get his limbs get tangled in. :Fish Smiley 6068:
^^^babycenter.com.ph
The question of safety has come to the forefront in recent years, with anecdotal reports of falls or injuries. Yet, there seems to be little recent research into the safety of the traditional baby hammocks.
It is possible that duyan have been dismissed as safe because many Filipino babies are constantly watched by parents, relatives, or other caregivers that accidents are more likely to be averted. The traditional use of baby hammocks is so common across South East Asia, but it doesn't negate the safety hazards that may come with it. A small 1997 Singapore study did document cases of head injuries in children who had fallen out of the them while they were sleeping, playing, or feeding. These children had been seen in the Accidents & Emergency Department, the General Neurosurgical Ward and in the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit. There were no fatalities but the study concluded that there is a potential for serious injuries.
Many health professionals and babycare experts now recommend against the use of the traditional hammocks. BabyCenter Malaysia's pediatrician Dr. Winston Yong says, "I always advise parents to be very careful about using the traditional hammocks as injuries can occur. I usually encourage letting baby sleep in a firm cot rather than anything else." Another BabyCenter adviser, antenatal and Parent Craft educator Jennifer Hor from Malaysia, is also adamant that sleeping in a traditional baby hammocks should not be encouraged. "There is not enough support for the baby's back and the baby's shoulders are always hunched. Then there are the safety aspects: The risk of falling off is very real and sometimes the hammock can be rocked too vigorously." This, in turn, increases the risk of baby falling out or being pushed against an adjacent wall. The KK Women's and Children's Hospital in Singapore, in its leaflet on child safety, warns that vigorous rocking can also lead to internal brain bleeding.
BabyCenter Philippines' pediatrician, Dra. Cynthia Castrillo, opines that the duyan is so widely accepted in Filipino culture and has been passed on from one generation to another that many parents blindly take these personal endorsements as approvals on safety. She warns, "Risks may be related to falls from either one or both of the opposite supports giving way, or when the baby tips over as he tries to move or roll over. There is also the risk of suffocating the baby if his weight pulls down too much on the loose ends of the fabric so as to swaddle him or envelop him in."
Dra. Castrillo also admonishes the way some parents reportedly rock the duyan with their feet, as it is harder to control pressure that way and it does not give a safe view or reach in case an accident may suddenly occur. Safety becomes an issue too with the choice of material: Some parents prefer material made of rope or fishnet with the belief that it is cooler, allows the back to "breathe", and gives a better view of the baby despite the risk of the spaces in between becoming even wider over time, causing a potential risk for the baby to fall off from or at least get his limbs get tangled in. :Fish Smiley 6068:
^^^babycenter.com.ph