Is there an answer
to crib death?
Dr. Sprott, OBE, chemist, and forensic scientist of New
Zealand
says yes! His research and
solutions have reduced that nation's crib death rate
dramatically and among the 100,000+ parents who have taken
his advice, there has not been one reported crib death. And
now I'm going to tell you what I spent 9 months researching
before I started this website along with my best friend
Heidi.
How did I find
out about this? Well, after my first son was born in 2001,
I was looking online for information about decorating my
baby nursery when I stumbled across some startling facts
about SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).
Me
and baby #1
But first a little background info:
When I was a
child, I had always heard the stories in my family about my
great aunt who lost her only daughter to SIDS. She was a
twin and her brother survived. I was always so worried
about SIDS that every and any information that I could find
on the subject I would read in hopes of finding an answer.
I was terrified. But I could never get a straight answer.
Ever feel that way?
There is a lot of information about crib death out there.
So what's a parent to think? One
website states that
SIDS can happen anytime, to any baby, and there's nothing a
parent can do. Nothing at all. So basically a parent can
do everything right and still lose a baby to SIDS. Another
website
tells us that 30 years of research still gives us no
answer to SIDS In our modern day I just could not accept
that this was true. And yet that's what North American
research is telling us.
But
is it true?
Then I stumbled upon Dr. TJ
Sprott and his non-profit website [www.cotlife2000.com] and
found out that for years, New Zealand has been on the
cutting edge of crib death research and their SIDS rate was
dropping; dramatically!
Baby #2
I'm
a microbiology graduate (BSc) from the University of Tulsa,
Ok and I also did almost 2 years of graduate work at the
University of Toronto as a microbiologist until I started my
family. So research is my thing, and I immediately poured
over the information in his site, then searched the web to
find out everything I could about it. Still not satisfied,
I emailed him with question after question. The answer was
so simple yet it has eluded thousands of researchers.
When I found
out what Dr. Sprott knew, I whisked my baby out of his crib
and slept with him on the floor for 4 days while I waited
for the "answer" in the mail!
What has Dr. Sprott
discovered?
First let me say that his research, has had a 100% success
rate! That is statistically impossible unless his research
is valid. Not one single reported crib death in well over
hundreds of thousands of homes following his advice for
almost 9 years.
The answer is in
the crib itself.
Antimony, arsenic,
and phosphorus were first introduced into crib
mattresses in the early 1950s, and for example, the British
crib death rate increased steadily from that time onwards.
(In fact the term "cot death" was coined in 1954 as a result
of the marked increase in the number of such deaths.)
Did I say arsenic?
I sure did! And I'm as shocked as you are. These chemicals
are used as a fire retardant in mattresses. It is required
by law. In fact, in its gaseous form, phosphorus is deadly
and just as worrisome. So what do these chemicals have to
do with crib death?
Well, if mold
gets into a mattress, and ofcourse it does (see our
analysis page about mold in
mattresses) more often than not, it eats certain chemicals
and releases them in gaseous form. Actually, when the
particular mold called
Scopulariopsis
brevicaulis
finds its way into a crib mattress
or synthetic bedding that may contain the
three offending chemicals, it feeds on these chemicals and
releases them as a toxic gas. Once a baby sleeps on the
mattress, the mold grows exponentially and releases the
toxic gas (activated by body heat). If a baby has a fever,
and the mold is present, then growth of the mold is greatly
increased and hence the release of toxic gas increases.
The gas
disintegrates quickly, but if it is inhaled while it is
still potent, it acts as a nerve gas and stops heart
function resulting in death. It's that simple. And this
research is affectionately called the "toxic gas theory".
And German scientists
agree.
As a
microbiologist, I knew that molds were very common in
households and that the way they breathe is by eating a
chemical and releasing it in an altered gaseous form (in a
nutshell!). So I knew immediately that he was on to
something. I literally panicked. My scientific background
helped me to understand clearly what others might not. So I
bought
Dr. Sprott's book and
poured through it only to find out an amazing story!
What's the solution?
A barrier between the baby and
the mattress. Dr. Sprott has developed a mattress cover
made of a very specialized plastic that prevents this gas
from escaping. So I immediately ordered it and wrapped my
baby's mattress, followed the instructions for
safe bedding
as specified in the cotlife 2000 campaign, and sighed
with intense relief.
Why does the
mattress cover work? Dr. Sprott is a chemist and a plastics
specialist. This plastic is called polythene, and MUST be
125 microns thick to prevent gas from escaping. It fits the
mattress tightly and has airholes beneath the mattress to
allow airflow and prevent moisture buildup that the growth
of mold would cause.
There is no
other mattress cover like it in the world. BabeSafe is the
only cover that is scientifically designed to protect the
crib from toxic gases contained within the mattress.
Want more information? See our "campaign"
against Crib Death/SIDS Prevention.
Do most
mattresses and bedding contain mold?
Yes - See what Dr. Sprott's research shows.
click here.
How can
you prevent toxic gas generation?
1.
Measure your mattress, L, W, and H. Wrap your mattress with
the correct
size
BabeSafe mattress cover.
2.
Follow wrapping instructions provided with cover or online
at
www.babysake.com/Howtowrap.htm.
2.
Use only
bedding
recommended by Dr. Sprott to ensure no offending chemicals
are placed over the cover (which would negate its
effectiveness!)
3.
Finally, get some sleep.
<CLICK HERE FOR MORE
INFORMATION
ABOUT CRIB DEATH AND PREVENTION>
How
many times a night do I check my babies? None! -- I'm
not worried about crib death - not anymore!