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Any product on the market can be dangerous if used unsafely. Safety boils down to commonsense. If you come up with an idea, no matter how clever you think it might be, please contact your carriers manufacturer first before implementing.
When it comes to any Baby Sling or Baby Carrier there are some very distinct points and some good old fashioned advice
SAFETY RULES
1) Never, ever, under any circumstanse strap your sling over a cot's rails to use as a suspended hammock. This practice is very dangerous! Cots were not designed or intended, to withstand the inward forces of this practice that could lead to hinge damage and/or pressure cracks on the rails themselves. All cots have to pass the strictest safety standards to their original purpose, not for an unrelated product to use as a prop.
2) Never, ever, under any circumstance, hang your baby whilst in the sling on a door knob!!.
3) Never, ever, under any circumstance, straddle your baby over pram handles while it's in the sling.
4) Do not use as a substitute car restraint in a motor vehicle. Baby must always be carried in an approved motor vehicle child restraint when travelling in a car.
5) Do not use a baby sling or carrier while playing sports or cooking.
6) Always support your baby whilst changing position.
7) Never bend over from the waist, always bend down at the knee's. While bending, hold your baby with at least one arm.
8) Baby's face must be visible and elevated out of the sling at all times except when breastfeeding.
9) Never purchase a buckle sling (or any other type of carrier) that has been made by an unqualified person. Usually sold on websites such as Ebay etc. In the past, haberdashery buckles have been used, which do not have any load bearing capacity. This is a very dangerous practice, as research and testing hasn't been taken to provide a safe product. You even find patterns on Google now on how to make your own sling. What they don't provide, is how to make a safe, secure one. Most will give you incorrect stitching techniques. Be aware of this.
Established and well branded products have spent countless thousands of dollars and even more time to bring a safe product onto the market. You are absolutely free, and most manufacturers/sellers will gladly answer any questions regarding their testing methods, certificates etc.
10) Never use a reversible or double layered hammock style sling. Though it might be great to get "2 slings in one", any hammock style sling that has 2 layers of fabric greatly diminishes the "aeration" or air flow around baby. Hold any sling up to the light, you should be able to see the light through it. If you can't, then the aeration quality is poor.
SAFETY ADVICE - all slings and carriers
1) Your baby's face must be visible to you at all times. Do not carry an infant under the age of 4 months on your back, where you cannot see your baby's face. Babies should not be carried on the back at all under 10 months of age. From 8 months, babies can be carried using the "Half Hip" position (where baby sits on the hip just behind your arm) or in the cradle hold ( where they lay off to your side) if you need to have "baby out of the way".
If baby turns it's face inwards to your body, called the "rooting reflex", which some breast fed babies do, slide the inner wall (layer of sling in between you and baby) to underneath the breast or chest, so that baby is resting directly on you.
2) The sling should never cover baby's face. Young babies should not be placed too deep inside the sling where the fabric of the sling could cover their face. Most slings can be manipulated so that the inner wall of the sling can be pulled up high enough to make the overall size of the hammock smaller. The excess fabric should be then tucked away under your arm.
3) When a baby is sitting in an upright position-
a) Make sure the rails are under the knee caps not their bottom. This will ensure baby has correct thigh & structural support. Cranky babies often do the "plank" where they make themselves straight and rigid. If the sling is held just under the bottom they will slip out when they go "plank".
b) To ensure correct back support for baby, the outer wall of the sling should be placed across baby's back no lower than their arm pits. You should not see any of your baby's back below this point.
4) Baby's airway should never be obstructed. Baby, when laying in the sling should be straight or a minimal curved position (same as a car seat). You should be able to place at least 1 to 2 fingers in-between the chin and chest of your baby. If baby has chin to chest, move baby's position or recline the sling further till they are more horizontal.
5) Safe placement of the slings rails. The "rails" (the padded lips of the hammock), where they meet the shoulder pad to form the opening, should never cross over each other - they should attach to the shoulder pad with a small gap between them, and angle away from each other. Crossed over rails will physically force an infant's head inside the sling, closing over baby's face and lead to possible suffocation. There is a company that display's it sling on their marketing photo's inside out deliberately to avoid detection of the unsafe positioning of it's rails.
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