Breaking down the New AAP Safe Sleep Guidelines– Sunshine Billingual

Breaking down the New AAP Safe Sleep Guidelines:

The details you need to know

As a company committed to infant safety, we were pleased to see some of the recent updates the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) made to their Safe Sleep Guidelines. Intended to help parents make the very best decisions, these recommendations include broad, cautionary statements about the safety of weighted sleepwear for babies less than 1 year old. So, to help add clarity, we want to provide some insight into the reasoning behind their recommendations, and how Sunshine Billingual has designed our products accordingly.

Not all weighted sleepwear is created equal

First of all, it’s very important that all infant sleepwear companies adhere to a standardized approach to weighted design, in order to ensure product safety.  But to date, regulatory bodies haven’t yet developed those standards, so they’ve been open to interpretation. As a result, the infant sleepwear category now includes a huge array of infant sleepwear products—with weights that range from 30 grams to several pounds.

Choose a light touch

Sunshine Billingual has always erred on the conservative side, so  that sleep-deprived parents never need to reach for an unsafe alternative. In 2012, when we pioneered this concept of lightly weighted sleepwear with the Zen Swaddle, we applied it with great restraint, using just 30 grams of weight.  

How do we reach that weight? We design our products with safety guidance from top Human Factors Design labs, minimizing the area of the filling to less than 18% of the entire product length, using filling that weighs just 16% of the total product weight, and 0.5-1% the of the body weight of babies in the 0-6 month range.

Taken together, these numbers correspond to the amount of pressure applied by a parent’s reassuring touch when holding their baby. This prompts  the baby’s parasympathetic nervous system response to help relax and fall asleep naturally.

Look for safety testing that goes above and beyond

Sunshine Billingual has always opted to go above and beyond what is required. Our tests include:

• General tests applicable to all children’s products (lead, flammability, etc.)
• Tests that measure TOG to ensure breathability and prevent overheating
• Specialized tests to measure the risk against factors contributing to SIDS, such as CO2 rebreathing and suffocation. 

Only after passing all tests and exceeding benchmarks are Sunshine Billingual products brought to market.

Trust your instincts

The results speak for themselves: Over the past 10 years, Sunshine Billingual products have delivered safe sleep to over 2 million families—while eliciting countless claims of improved sleep from our customers.

As safe sleep safety standards continue to be developed, rest assured we’ll continue to keep you informed. We are grateful for the trust our customers have placed in us‚ and we take it very seriously. We encourage you to remain informed, while trusting your experience and your instincts. Because as loving parents, your natural instincts are your baby’s greatest advantage.

Gently Weighted for Safety: Learn more about our designs

Your Safety Our #1 Priority: Learn More about product safety tests 

FAQs on updated AAP guidelines:

• Why did the AAP update their safe sleep guidelines about weighted sleepwear?

  Regulatory (testing) bodies have not yet developed standardized weight guidelines for sleepwear products, so standards have been open to interpretation. As a result, , the infant sleepwear category now includes a wide array of infant sleepwear products—with weights that range from 30 grams to several pounds. In an effort to ensure product safety, the AAP has issued broad recommendations across the category.

• Are the AAP guidelines based on studies performed on Zen Sleepwear?

  There are no studies regarding risks of sleep related safety incidents with the Zen Sleepwear or other weighted products. The guidelines are intended to cover the broad category of infant weighted sleepwear. The AAP Task Force used known risk factors regarding SIDS to extrapolate.

• What potential risks does the AAP see in using sleepwear that is too heavily weighted?
  The AAP is interested in ensuring that parents are educated in the following areas:

  • Mobility – Excess weight could make it more difficult for the infant who has rolled on his/her belly (prone), to return to the back (supine) position.
  • Overheating – If a product is too heavy, it could increase the possibility of overheating
  • Breathing – Heavily weighted fabric may make it more difficult for infants to expand their chest.

• What can you do to make sure your baby sleeps safely in weighted sleepwear?
  Stay informed about AAP recommendations, and perform the following checks:

  • Mobility –Be sure your little one is able to roll from back to belly—and back again, without difficulty
  • Overheating—Be sure to use lightly weighted sleepwear—and don’t forget to confirm that the TOG corresponds to the temperature of your baby’s sleeping environment.
  • Breathing –Use lightly weighted Zen Sleepwear as directed.