Are hammocks SID safe.....

I've done a bit of research but can't find anything. The Amby site mentions SIDS and lying flat on the back BUT it does not mention anywhere about it being recommended or SIDS safe.

Seeing as SIDS recommends a firm flat mattress and no bumpers to ensure air circulation - how does that work if you use a hammock? I've never seen one up close so I'm not sure about how firm the mattress is, but what about all the material around the sides??

We have a cradle that we used for Izzy that we were going to fix and use again but I was contemplating hiring a hammock until my midwife asked me if it was SIDS safe and I said I didn't know!:doh: Funny how you check all that stuff to the mm and cm with 1# but the thought just didn't cross my mind!

Love to know what you all think and if there is anything out there about them!
TIA :)

The Amby website says there are no known cases of SIDS when using a baby hammock.

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To date, there has not been one single case of injury or SIDS attributed to our hammock.

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The matresses aren't that firm so that they mould around baby, but babies aren't meant to lie on their tummy in the hammock anyway. They have mesh sides so there is plenty of airflow.

If you want to see a hammock set up let me know and I'm happy to show you mine :)

Hi Tan

i used a hammock for my first bub, it was around 17 years ago, not sure if they make them the same now, they were very new on the market then, and he passed away from sids when he was in it.....not sure if it had anything to do with the hammock, but he had rolled onto his stomach.

thought i would add...we were also told back then to sleep babies on the side not on there backs.

Trish, i bought the no-name brand off ebay $149 brand new, looks very much the same as the Amby one, would that be the same aswell? Safe with SIDS etc?

Oh Chrissy, I'm so sorry to hear about your DS. :hug:

Ren - I'm not sure, but I suppose if it's pretty much the same as an Amby one then it will be fine.

Hi ladies - I have just purchased the Amby Hammock - because after a lot of research with other Mum's, decided it looked wonderful. I lost my son last year - not to sids - but I found him not breathing in his hospital cot. So, I am a bit paranoid about the safety of my soon-to be born bub. I, too, read on the Amby Website that there have been no reported cases of SIDS in the hammock. I also just called SIDS last week - about another issue (hiring one of the monitors) and remembered to ask them about the safety of hammocks - they said they only endorse and recommend babies sleeping on a firm, hard, flat matress - on their backs.

So, I'm not quite sure what to do now. I am actually more of the opinion that if SIDS is going to happen (and it is still very rare) - it will happen anywhere - it can even happen in a pram - or on that firm cot matress. So, I'm hiring a Respisense ($30 per month, can hire them online) - which is a breathing monitor that clips onto the babies nappy. I hope this will go some way to giving me the peace of mind I need - regardless of where bub is sleeping.

Lee

p.s. forgot to mention - from what I've read - it's hard, very hard for a bub to roll onto their tummies in the hammock - by the time they can do this - they will probably have outgrown the hammock - so that's a good thing in my books.

Nope, the SIDS and Kids foundation do not endorse hammocks, but that is because there is no research into the rates of SIDS in babies sleeping in hammocks, as compared to those sleeping in other situations. It just isn't common enough for anyone to say definitively.

As Amby point out, there has never been a case of SIDS reported from a baby sleeping in a hammock.

As long as you minimise your oher risk factors, my own opinion is that Hammocks are safe. The biggest risk factor is smoking, either while pregnant, or after the baby is born.

Renstar - how have you found the no-name version of the hammock? I've been looking at them on eBay, but the material at the foot-end seems much lower than in the Amby - I'm concerned that they're short-cutting with the cheaper versions...

There's a new one just come up on eBay that is much cheaper but looks much more like the Amby... no bids on any of the four though and they're ending in under 24 hours all of them - not sure whether to grab one while I can... It's the one with the nighttime pic with a big fake moon!

Shades - The one on eBay looks very similar to the Amby one, but it's hard to tell without seeing it in person. The mattress doesn't look nearly as firm as the Amby one though. I wonder what the quality of the fabric is like for that price? If you get one let us know what it's like!

Shades - we haven't put our's to use yet.... another 10 weeks or so!! But i love it.... it was the $149 one.... bought it direct off the lady as she's on the Gold Coast also.

My bub has been sleeping in an amby hammock since she was 8 wks old and sleeps great, she occasinally gets slighty on her side but can't roll all the way, though she does on the floor. The matterese is not firm as but not soft either, hard to explain.

Just a question about the look alike ones, do the ends zip up or only tie up. The reason I ask is tha amby zips and ties at the foot end so that bub can't slip out the end once they learn to wriggle. however bub has only managed to wriggle down a bit of the way.

I brought mine out of desperation for sleep as bub would only sleep in bed with us (not sids safe) or in the bouncer being bounced the whole time. It has been a life saver.

Shades - I have been looking at that one as well and have messaged a few people who have purchased one from the same seller and the response was;
Having not trialed any other hammocks, it is difficult to make any comparisons. The delivery was very fast. The frame seems to be good, although the locking clip pins seem a little cheap and the powder coating a little irregular. The hammock itself and the matierial feels a little light but is airy and roomy. We put our four year old in it and seemed to be comfortably strong enough. We would have liked it to be slightly higher.
We are still really unsure about them too - would love to know if anyone else has bought one of these.

Tan, Ive got an Amby and thats the only type I've used so cant help you on that one.
As a rule hammocks in general do tend to be reletively low to the ground as that persons feedback pointed out but i think this is a postive design feature.
Amby hammocks are used in a number of public hospitals in Melbourne.

Tan not sure about the cheapo ones but we have the amby hammock and our DD loves it, sleeps like a baby in it and has done since 5 days old. We take it away with us when we go on holidays so she always has a familiar place to sleep. We had one of those little pillow things that stops bub from rolling but she is too big for the pillow now. It's hard to see how she could roll in it though, there isn't room and the way the hammock moves would make it really difficult! Anyway, happy to post a photo if you like.

Well we ended up buying the Amby one that we hired from Hire for Baby as she was wanting to upgrade anyway!!! Thanks for all the advice ...I am still a little concerned but think I will move him out once he is anywhere near rolling, and we are always sure to put him on his back and not his side in it. It had made such a big difference in his sleeping - he will go for 4-6 hours every night after his 7pm feed which is just wonderful and he clearly isn't struggling with pain in it. :D

Tan - Did you buy it from Penny @ Hire 4 Babe? I bought mine from her before I bought my RNR biz from her! DS1 never rolled over in his and he was a VERY active baby. He slept happily in it until 23 months old :o. Much later than most bubs, but he wouldn't have a bar of his cot. It was a life saver!

Well I just took the plunge and bought one off eBay... (not even pg yet!)
I had been reluctant til now as they looked like they were shortcutting on safety stuff, like no spring cover, and the foot panel looked about half as high as the Amby one... but the one I just found had all the things I required and to me looks totally comparable to the Amby... for $100 including postage. Even if the mattress seems less than ideal, I can buy a new mattress from Amby that would fit as the dimensions are the same...
And I can get sheets too - so yay!

Sure did Trish!! She's lovely!! :D