Kidsafe Victoria, together with SIDS and Kids Victoria issued a red alert today over the use of pram bassinets as ?beds? for children.

Kidsafe and SIDS and Kids Victoria urged parents and carers not to leave children sleeping unattended in a pram or pram bassinet. In Victoria, between 1996 and 2006, 1448 infants suffered injuries from prams and strollers.

Kidsafe Victoria President Dr Mark Stokes warned, ?Leaving a child sleeping unattended in an unsuitable environment such as a pram can lead to severe injury or even death. It is dangerous to leave a child unattended in a pram or stroller, even when they are asleep, because they could wriggle and cause the pram or stroller to tip over.?
Tipping over is the most common cause of pram-related injuries1. Children can also be strangled by the strap, or suffocate if the pram collapses and therefore should not be left to sleep unsupervised.

There are currently no Australian standards for bassinets. The current pram standard AS/NZS 2088:2009 ensures manufacturers include notices warning parents not to leave children unattended in the pram for any period of time.

SIDS and Kids CEO, Karen Passey, stated that ?Restraints should always be fastened correctly when baby is in a pram or stroller but this is not a suitable place for baby to sleep unsupervised.?
Parents should carefully assess the sleeping arrangements of their children and be familiar with all accompanying safety guidelines for safe sleeping which include:

• Sleep baby on back from birth, not tummy or side.
• Sleep baby with face and head uncovered and free from bedding, pillows and toys.
• Avoid exposing baby to tobacco smoke before birth and after.
• Provide a safe sleeping environment with safe furniture and bedding - no curtains,
• quilts, doonas, duvets, pillows in and around cot etc.
• Sleep baby in its own environment next to its parent?s bed for the first year.

For further information please visit www.kidsafevic.com.au or www.sidsandkidsvic.org